A Day In The Life
by RingosGarden
Summary: SEQUEL UP; LIKE FATHER LIKE DAUGHTER Taylor Black is the eleven year old daughter of a mass murderer. Read as her relationships form, powers grow and she discovers who she really is. Set during PS, Reference through OotP. Main Chars. HP HG RW RL SS FGW OW
1. Introducing Taylor Black

As of late, my attention has been devoted to this story.

And as per usual, I own very little.

Enjoy.

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"This would go a lot quicker," I state in annoyance, carrying a bag full of school supplies, looking at my godfather Remus Lupin, "If you allowed me to split up from you."

"It's your first year at Hogwarts, Taylor," He replies smiling down at me. "Diagon Alley can be difficult to navigate through no matter your age."

We stop outside of Madam Malkin's Robes and I roll my eyes at him. "Moony, I think I can try on robes by myself, don't you think? We would save much more time if I got my robes while you got my books or something, don't you think?"

"Promise that you'll stay in the store then?"

I grin, having gotten my way. "Of course," I reply brightly and almost skip into the store.

I look around the robe shop and see the top of a witch's hat towards the back. "Excuse me," I state.

A squat witch dressed in mauve, she jumps at the sound of my voice. "I didn't hear you come in dear, please come here."

I walk towards her and she smiles at me. "Hogwarts?" She asks.

I nod at her and she gestures towards a stool. I stand on top of it and she instantly drapes a robe over me and begins to pin it to fit. Just as she begins to pin the hem up on the bottom of my robe a blonde boy walks in and begins to be fitted by a second witch to my right.

"Hogwarts, too?" He asks me.

"Obviously," I reply.

He wasn't in the least taken aback by my bluntness and continues. "My father's buying my books and my mother is looking at wands. Then I think I'll drag them off to look at racing brooms, it's a pity they don't let first years have their own. Maybe I'll try smuggling one in."

"Have you got your own broom?" He continues.

"Yeah," I reply. "For ages now."

"Then you play Quidditch?"

"You can say that," I reply, bored with this conversation.

He continues any way. "Do you know what house you'll be in yet?"

Figures he would ask the question that I myself have been dreading. "I suspect Gryffindor or Slytherin."

"I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been," He replies.

No surprise to me there. He seems like he would get along great with the gits that are in Slytherin. Most dark wizards came from Slytherin house.

"Were your parents our kind?" He asks me.

"If you mean witch and wizard, then yes."

"I really don't think that they should let the other sort in, do you? I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families."

I look at him, face void of emotion. "What's your surname?"

"Malfoy," he replies proudly, grinning. "You?"

I try not to show the surprise that I was feeling at the boy for stating his name. I've not even set forth in the castle and I've already met my half-brother and he has no idea.

I don't have the chance to answer as the witch who was measuring my robes speaks up. "That's it dear, you're done." I hop down from the footstool leaving Malfoy's question un-answered.

"I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," I state to him and turn my back to him as I pick up my set of robes and walk outside where Remus was waiting for me with my books.

"What's with you?" He asks, noticing my change in demeanor as we walk towards Ollivander's to purchase a wand.

"Just an annoying customer in the store," I state, not wishing to get into my real issue at the moment.

Remus opens the door for me and a bell rings. There was very little space to stand for the rest of the store was filled with boxes and looked similar to a library.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice from behind me, making me jump a little. Remus seemed unfazed. I watch as he moves to in front of us. He looks at Remus and smiles. "It seems like just yesterday I was selling you your first wand, Mr. Lupin, still have it then?"

Remus pulls his wand out of his back pocket and hands it to Mr. Ollivander who studies it and hands it back to him. "Well kept, good for you." His attention then goes to me. "And this lovely lady must be your daughter."

Remus shakes his head, smiling nervously. "I'm her godfather."

"Ah," he replies. "My mistake." He looks back down at me, "And what might your name be?"

"Taylor," I reply.

He smiles at me, "And Taylor, do you have a last name?"

"Black."

It was obvious that my last name had startled him and I couldn't help a grin. "You'd be Sirius' daughter then?" He asks me tentatively.

"I would be," I state. I had better get used to this reaction seeing as I'll be in the public view as soon as school starts. It will be quite hard hiding the fact that Sirius Black is my father once I'm in school, seeing as he is one of the most well known murderers in the wizarding world.

"Well then," he states, suddenly getting back to business. "Which is your wand hand?"

"Right," I reply.

He has me hold out my arm as he measures different distances. Shoulder to finger, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit…He stops measuring and picks a seemingly random box off of one of the shelves. "Try this one. Maple and dragon heartstring. Eight inches, springy."

I wave the wand only a fraction of a distance before he snatches it out of my hand and retreats to the shelves, pulling out another box. "Beechwood and unicorn hair, seven inches. Quite whippy."

Yet again I hardy raise the wand before he snatches it away from me and hands me another. "Hmmm, try this one. Ebony and Threshal hair, eight and a half inches, nice and supple."

Upon contact with the wand I feel a warmth in my fingers, I wave it and a stream of red and gold sparks shoot from the end, making me smile. "Interesting," he states, taking the wand and wrapping it in a box. "Very interesting."

"What's that?" I ask him.

"Well, it's certainly not unheard of, but I don't tend to use Threshal hair, it makes for quite temperamental wands. I have used it only once before, and that wand, belongs to your aunt, Bellatrix Black."

I pay him for the wand and hurriedly exit, with Remus behind me. "Prat," I state, kicking a stray rock on the ground.

He sighs at me. "You're going to have to get used to it, Tay."

"That doesn't make it any easier," I retort.

"Ready to go home?" He asks, smiling down at me.

"Very," I reply, grabbing hold to him arm as he apparates us back home in our living room. I empty my new purchases into my opened footlocker on the couch and Remus does the same with the bag of books he had been carrying. I slam the lid down hard and sigh.

"You promise you won't disown me if I end up in Slytherin?" I ask him only half joking.

"Taylor," he says pulling me into a hug. "Your House doesn't matter. I love you for who you are."

I pull away and walk to the kitchen for a snack. "You say that now," I mutter, walking back into the living room eating an apple.

He smiles and shakes his head at me. "Why don't you go up to your room and make sure that you have everything packed that you need. The train to Hogwarts leaves early tomorrow."

"I have everything Dad. We've been over this. Eleven o'clock. Platform nine and three quarters. King's Cross. Got it."

"Fine, but if you forget something it's your own problem."

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Please review,

I do have much more of this story written,

But if it's not liked,

I might abandon it.


	2. The Sorting Hat

**I'm adding chapter two in hopes that you viewers will give me some feedback. I have much more of this story written, but it's of no use to me if I don't know you the readers are liking it,**

**So please,**

**Send a review?**

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I am woken with ice cold water and swear as I hear Remus laughing. "Asshole," I state, waving my hand over myself to dry me.

He frowns at me "You're really shouldn't do that."

"And adults shouldn't find pleasure in wakening children by means of torture."

"Shut up and get dressed, it's ten already."

I quickly dress as he told me, placing my wand in my back pocket, and grab a quick breakfast. "Nervous?" He asks.

"I suppose so. More on how people will treat me if anything."

He ruffles my hair and gestures to my trunk. "You ready?"

I shrug and he takes that as a yes. He walks over to my trunk and hands me a ticket from his pocket and my caged black owl, Onyx. "Hold on tight," he says as he grabs my trunk. I feel the familiarity of being pulled and within seconds it stops and I find myself facing platform nine. The non-magical muggles seemed to not have noticed anything.

"All right, through there," Remus states gesturing at the barrier separating platform nine and ten. I breathe in deep and walk straight towards the barrier, and as Remus told me would happen, right through it.

"Well I'm not much use to you now," he says and bends down so he's my height. "I want an owl as soon as everything has calmed down, okay?"

I nod and hug him tight. "I'll miss you, Dad."

He pulls away smiling at me. "I'll see you at Christmas, now go find a seat."

I pick up my trunk and Onyx and head towards the train, dodging the witches and wizards around me. "Behave yourself," he states as I hand a worker my ticket and walk aboard.

I walk down the isle of the train and I pick an empty compartment somewhat towards the back of the train. I pull a book of jinxes out from my trunk and sit there reading until the train fills up a more considerable amount and the noise gets to be too much. I place my book back in my trunk as to door to the compartment opens and two red heads who I suspect to be Weasleys, twins by the look of them, enter.

"Mind if we sit here?" The one on the left asks.

"We need three seats and every where else is full," the other one states.

I shrug at them. "I'm not saving the seats. You do know that there are only two of you though?"

"We're waiting for someone," the left one states sitting across from me. "I'm Fred by the way," he says offering me his hand. I shake it as the other one sits down next to me.

"And I'm George," he says, also shaking my hand.

"Taylor," I state. "Weasley, right?"

"Yeah," Fred replies. "How'd you know that?"

"My godfather knows your parents," I respond.

The compartment door opens once more to reveal a tall black boy. "This," George states. "Is Lee Jordon. Lee," he says gesturing towards me, "this is Taylor uh-."

He looks to me. "I didn't get your last name."

"That's because I didn't tell you it," I reply with a smile.

"Cute," Fred says. "Do you plan on telling us?"

I shake my head at him. "You'll find out at the sorting. No need to ruin a good train ride now."

They all look at me oddly so I decide to change the subject. "So, what year and house are you three in?"

"Third year; Gryffindor," Lee states sitting next to Fred.

I smile and look at George. "The whole lot of you is from Gryffindor, right?"

"Yeah," he replies. "Our brother Ron is a first year so he'll be sorted today as well. What House is your family from?"

"A couple," I reply with a smirk.

"You're just a girl of mysteries then, huh?" Fred asks me as the train lurches forward on its trek towards Hogwarts.

I shrug at him. "You know Harry Potter's in your year?" Lee asks me.

"I heard that," I reply looking out the window, already knowing full well that I'd be starting school with Harry. His father James, Remus and my own father were best friends at school until my father betrayed the Potters, resulting in their death. My father happens to also be Harry's godfather; a fact that I doubt he knows or would want to.

"You want to join us in a game of exploding snap?" George asks, bringing my attention back to the compartment.

I smile at him. "Why not?"

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Before I knew it Fred was suggesting that we change into robes because we were nearing Hogwarts. I had just finished adjusting my hat as the train slowed down. I lock my footlocker and join the others in the train's corridor waiting for the train to stop. The train finally stops and people push their way out onto a tiny dark platform. I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around to face George.

"Good luck then," he states.

Fred smiles at me as well. "Hopefully see you in Gryffindor."

I wave at them and follow the booming voice that I know to be of Hagrid the gamekeeper shouting "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Along with the other first years I follow Hagrid down a steep, narrow path.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid calls over his shoulders, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!" The path had opened to the edge of a great black lake, the vast castle perched high on a mountain on the other side.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid calls pointing towards a fleet of boats sitting in the water by the shore. I choose the boat closest to me and am followed by a bushy haired girl, the brother to the Weasley twins, Ron, and Harry Potter. The bushy haired girl smiles at me and begins to attempt conversation but I turn away. I can't help but feel that this is going to be a very long year; I've never been too much of a people person.

"Everyone in?" Shouts Hagrid, who has an entire boat to himself. "Right then- FORWARD!"

The fleet of boats moved all at once. Everyone was silent staring up at the great castle overhead. The boats carried us to a kind of underground harbor where we all clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. We walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around a huge oak door. Hagrid knocked three times on the door and it swung open at once to reveal a tall black-haired witch in emerald-green robes.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," says Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take it from here."

She leads us into the entrance hall and into a small, empty chamber off of the hall. She welcomes us to Hogwarts and informs us that we will wait there until it is time for us to be sorted. She leaves and everyone starts talking at once. I hear Ron Weasley behind me start talking to Harry about how the sorting takes place and I smile.

In about five minutes time, McGonagall returns to tell us that the sorting ceremony is about to begin. She has us form a line and follow her into the great Hall where the rest of the school is sitting. We're led to the front of the hall facing the other students with our backs towards the teachers. I watch as McGonagall places a stool in front of us and stands an old wizards hat on top of it. The Sorting hat begins to sing and when it finishes the entire hall applauds.

Professor McGonagall steps forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbot, Hannah."

A small girl with blonde pigtails steps forward out of line, puts on the hat which reaches over her eyes, and sits down on the stool. After a moment's pause it shouts out "HUFFLEPUFF!" I watch as the table to the right cheers and she sits down at it.

"Black, Taylor!"

I breathe in deep, ignoring the whispers and mutters coming from the students in the room. I walk slowly up to the stool with a quick glance to the headmaster, Dumbledore, who nods slowly at me. I place the hat over my head and sit down upon the stool.

"Black eh?" It asks me. "I feel a great amount of power from you. And a strive to be different from your family, your father had that, but you have anger. A lot of anger for such a young girl. I think you would be good in SLY-

"No," I state, and the hat doesn't finish. "Not Slytherin."

"Well," the hat states. "I wasn't quite expecting that. But if you must GRYFFINDOR!"

I take the hat off and glance back to the head table where most of the professors are looking at me peculiarly. I wonder if the hat has ever changed its mind mid house before. I walk to the Gryffindor table where there are a few scattered applauses, but most of the house seems too stunned that I was placed with them, seeing who my father is. I take a seat at the end of the table, away from anyone and begin to watch the rest of the sorting. I watch as Susan Bones is made a Hufflepuff and Terry Boot a Ravenclaw. As the next girl, Mandy Brocklehurst walks up to the hat, Fred and George sit across from me.

"Congratulations," Fred says. "You're a Gryffindor."

"You're still talking to me?" I ask.

"Why wouldn't we?" George asks. "Your name? So what. As far as I know, you've never killed anyone."

I can't help myself from smiling at him in gratitude. We watch as Lavender Brown is made a Gryffindor, then Seamus Finnigan and shortly after him the bushy haired girl, Hermione Granger. I am thankful when both of them sit towards the middle of the table. A boy named Neville Longbottom was also sorted into Gryffindor. I recognized his name from Remus. His parents had been aurors until driven insane by Bellatrix Lestrange, who happened to be an aunt of mine, imprisoned in Azkaban with my father.

I shake my head as Draco Malfoy is sorted into Slytherin, the hat barely needing to touch his head. A few more people were sorted including Pavarti Patil to Gryffindor, and then McGonagall calls "Potter, Harry." The whispering is instant, and I can share Harry's pain. After almost a minute the hat places him in Gryffindor and he sits down on the other side of Fred and George who are clapping louder than anyone.

Dean Thomas was also made a Gryffindor along with Fred and George's little brother Ron, who sat across from Harry and his brothers. I noticed that Ron was giving me dirty looks and I turn to the head table as he leans across to whisper something to Harry.

The sorting ends with Blaise, Zabini being made a Slytherin. McGonagall rolls up the parchment and takes the sorting hat away. Professor Dumbledore then stands up and the hall grows silent.

"Welcome!" he says. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" He sits back down and the hall erupts in applause. I smile and look down at the plate in front of me. Not quite hungry, I push it away from me. I sigh and a ghost appears at my right.

"That looks delicious, not hungry?"

I notice that he's wearing a ruff and grin. "Sir Nicholas de Mimsy, I presume?"

He smiles back at me. "So you've heard of me. I was hoping that I would get the chance to meet you. Your father was quite the wizard, if you're anything like him-"

He notices the smile fading from my face and stops talking. "My apologies Miss Black," he states and glides off to where Ron and Seamus Finnigan are sitting. I ignore the conversation around me and since Fred and George went back to where they were originally sitting, I was left quite alone.

I look up to the head table where Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore are deep in conversation. To their right I notice a man with greasy black hair, a hooked nose and sallow skin talking to man in a turban I knew to be professor Quirrell. I sigh, knowing that this was the man that Remus had warned me about, Professor Snape. He taught potions here and was in my father's year at school. My father tormented him and Remus warned me that he would probably be very bias and unfair to me because of it. I've always been highly interested in potion making and really enjoy the subject. I've been helping Remus since I was old enough in making potions. I really hope that I'm able to enjoy his class.

When the deserts had all disappeared Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet and the Hall got silent again. "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of the older students would do well to remember that as well." I watch as Dumbledore looks quickly to Fred and George who smile in his direction. "Also, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

There were a few bouts of nervous laughter, but most of the hall was silent at this comment. "And now bedtime. Off you trot!"

Along with the rest of the Gryffindor first years, I followed the oldest Weasley, Percy, who happened to be prefect to the Gryffindor common room, which was guarded by a painting of a very large lady. "Password?" She asks.

"Caput Draconis," Percy states and she swings open revealing a round hole in the wall leading to the Gryffindor common room; a warm, round room filled with squashy armchairs.

Percy directs the girls to a door leading to our dorm and the boys to theirs. I follow the three girls in my year; Hermione, Pavarti and Lavender up a spiral staircase and into a room with four, four-poster beds with deep red velvet curtains. I find my trunk and owl at the furthest bed from the door and walk over to it, letting Onyx out to stretch her wings.

The bushy haired girl, Hermione, starts conversation. "I'm Hermione Granger," she states looking at the three of us who have walked to our respective beds.

"Lavender Brown."

"Pavarti Patil."

"And you?" She says walking up to me.

"Taylor Black." I notice the looks that Lavender and Pavarti exchange and scowl. "You're muggle born, right?" I ask her, and yet again the two girls exchange glances.

Hermione looks taken aback but replies none the less. "Yeah, how could you tell?"

I put my hand out and she shakes it. "You're talking to me," I reply. I dig into my trunk and take out a piece of parchment and a quill. I gesture in the direction of Lavender and Pavarti, "You can find out from those two why you shouldn't be," I state picking Onyx up and placing her on my shoulder. "I've got a letter to write right now." I walk out of the room and back to the common room, sitting in one of the arm chairs. I sigh, finding myself along in the room, and begin to write my letter to Remus telling him about my day.

I finish the note and attach it to Onyx's leg. I give her a small kiss on her forehead and carry her to the open window opposite the fire place. "Be safe," I say and she flies off into the still night.

I walk back up the spiral staircase to the dorm and quietly change into pajamas. I lie down and fall asleep almost instantly.

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**That's it for now, folks.**

**Please,**

**Be gentle.**


	3. Finding Her Niche

**Here's the third installment.**

**As the story progresses I will stray form the book more,**

**Using it as a basic framework**

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Finding my way around the castle was a bit more difficult than I thought it would be. Peeves the poltergeist was certainly no help at all, and seemed to have a vendetta against me for being Sirius' daughter. It seemed that my father had pranked him quite often while at school, and Peeves felt the need to take it out on me. Most of the staircases moved around depending on the time of the day, adding to my frustration.

The classes though, I found to be at least slightly entertaining. Three times a week we had Herbology with a little witch names Professor Sprout, who taught us how to take care of different plants and what they were used for.

The most boring thing that I have ever had to sit through is Professor Binns History of Magic class. He droned on and on and had us take down notes on names and dates. The only interesting thing about this class was that Professor Binns happened to be a ghost.

A tiny little wizard names Professor Flitwick taught Charms. During role call he refused to look me in the eyes, but made a little squeak when he came across Harry's name.

Professor McGonagall taught Transfiguration. She was strict and very clever. Our first class included a lecture on the difficulties of transfiguration, many note taking and finally attempting to change a match into a needle. I've been able to do this for ages, but in order not to gain more unwanted attention, I made as if I was having as much trouble as the rest. Finally, bored with the assignment, I changed it and McGonagall gave me a very odd look, but congratulated me none the less, and showed the class that I had done it.

Professor Quirrell's class of Defense Against the Dark Arts was a massive joke. His class smelled of garlic in an attempt to ward off vampires and he seemed to know very little about actually fighting the dark arts.

On Friday, I walked down to breakfast with Harry and Ron. Harry and I had become friendly with each other after getting lost together on the way to charms, and he has somewhat persuaded Ron that I'm not going to blow him up into pieces.

"What have we got today?" Harry asks as he pours sugar on his porridge.

"Double potions with the Slytherins," I reply. "Professor Snape is head of Slytherin house and favors them massively. Fred and George warned me about him."

Ron nods in agreement. "We'll be able to see if it's true."

Just then, the mail arrives and hundreds of owls stream into the great hall. Onyx flutters down on my shoulder and holds out her leg. I untie the note from her leg and see it's from my cousin Tonks, wishing me good luck at Hogwarts and wanting to hear where I've been sorted and all about school so far. I look to Harry, whose owl Hedwig had brought him a letter as well. I watch as he borrows Ron's quill and scribbles a note back.

He looks and me and Ron. "Do you guys want to go with me to have tea with Hagrid at three?"

We both agree to accompany Harry and then begin our trek down to the dungeons for potions. Snape started class with roll call, just as professor Flitwick had done. Calling my name he glares at me with utmost detest. "Black," he sneers.

"Here, Sir," I reply, pretending that I don't notice his demeanor to me. He scowls in return and continues roll call.

"Ah, yes," he says softly getting to Harry's name. "Harry Potter. Our new- _celebrity_."

I turn as Draco Malfoy and two of his friends, Crabbe and Goyle, hide their laughter behind their hands.

The class listens in silence as Snape gives us a speech on the importance of potion making. Being already fascinated with the subject I find myself on the edge of my chair listening.

Abruptly he rounds on me, "Black!" says Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" I see from the corner of my eye that Hermione's hand has shot in the air and I ignore it, looking into Snape's eyes, void of emotion.

"A powerful sleeping potion known as the Draught of the Living Death," I reply as if he's not staring me down.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer.

"Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"It's a stone taken from the stomach of a goat that will save you from most poisons."

He continues to glare at me, seemingly more annoyed that I actually knew the answers and looks at Harry instead.

"Potter, what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"I don't know, sir," says Harry.

Snape sneers at him as well. "Tut, tut- fame clearly isn't everything. For your information, Potter, monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite."

The class didn't improve much as the lesson continued. Snape put us all into pairs, placing me with Dean Thomas, to mix a potion to cure boils. I informed Dean that I had made the potion before and he let me mix it, so it came out the perfect shade of green that we were aiming for. Snape peered into my cauldron and said nothing. He walked over to Malfoy's and complimented his potion just as Neville Longbottom managed to melt Seamus Finnigan's cauldron and their potion was seeping across the floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Poor Neville was drenched in the potion and boils were popping up all over his face.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with a wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Neville whimpered as the boils moved to his arms and legs. "Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus and then rounded at Harry and Ron who had been working next to them. "You- Potter- why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's a point from Gryffindor."

Harry opened his mouth to argue but Ron kicked him from under their cauldron.

An hour later, class was over. Harry and Ron waited for me as I packed my belongings but I told them that I'd meet them back up in the common room. They looked at me in astonishment when I told them I wanted to stay behind to talk to Snape for a second. When the class was empty I approached Snape's desk, which he was seated behind.

"Professor Snape?" I ask, tentatively.

He looks up from what he was reading and glares at me. "What do you want, Black?" he snarls.

I breathe in deep, thinking out what I was to say to him. "Professor, I realize that my father was cruel to you in school and this might cause you to be very bias towards me," I stop, trying to work the words out, and Snape just stares at me, a peculiar look on his face. "But I am not my father, nor do I know my father or have any contact with him. I really enjoy the field of potion making and I was hoping that maybe you could see past the misfortune of blood I have, and possibly treat me as any other student."

"Is that it?" He asks me.

I sigh. "I suppose so, sir."

He studies me a little before asking, "You were raised by Lupin?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Well at least he seems to have given you the manners that your father lacked," he states in a different tone than he had been using all class. "I won't promise you anything, Black, but you do seem to have some skill."

"Thank you, Sir."

"You may leave now."

I walk out of the room and roll my eyes as soon as I am sure Snape can no longer see me. "Prat," I mutter and walk up to the Gryffindor common room where Harry and Ron are sitting before the fire.

At five to three we left the castle and made our way across the grounds. Hagrid lives in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest.

Harry knocks on the door and we hear a scrabbling from inside along with several booming barks. Hagrid's face appears in the crack of the door as he pulls it open. "Hang on," he says. "_Back,_ Fang." He lets us in, struggling to hold back an enormous boarhound.

"Make yerselves at home," says Hagrid, letting go of Fang who bounds straight for Ron and licks his ears.

"This is Taylor," Harry states. I nod at Hagrid, acknowledging Harry's introducing me. "And this is Ron," Harry tells him.

"Another Weasley, eh?" Hagrid says, glancing at Ron's hair and freckles. "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest."

I sit down, listening to Harry tell Hagrid about Snape's lesson, and Hagrid's reply of not to worry about Snape, because he liked very few of his students.

"But he seemed to really _hate_ me."

"Rubbish!" says Hagrid. "Why should he?"

Harry shrugs, so I answer for him. "Your father," I state, looking out Hagrid's window towards the forest.

"What does my father have to do with Snape?" Harry asks me.

I turn back to him, noticing that Ron and Hagrid were both studying me. "Your father and Snape were in the same year at school," I state. "They never got along much."

"How do you know that?" he asks me.

"My godfather was in your father's year too," I reply, looking down on Hagrid's table where there is a clipping about a break in at the wizarding bank. "My father as well."

The room is silent for a moment before Hagrid speaks up. "Yer Sirius' daughter?"

I turn back to meet his eyes slowly. "Yeah, you knew him?"

He nods at me. "He was a great man. I can't believe what happened."

I scoff and shake my head. I look at Harry who seems very interested now and I stand up. "I've got to go back to the castle now," I state. "It was nice meeting you Hagrid, I had heard a lot about you from Remus."

I walk out of his small hut and instead of walking back up to the castle, I head towards the lake. I sit down on the water's edge and stare off into it. I pick a small pebble up from beside me and toss it into the lake.

"Miss Black, I was wondering when I would get the chance to speak with you."

I choose to continue looking out at the lake and fail to turn around at the voice behind me. "I'm not really in the talking mood," I reply.

"It's only been a week since you've started," the voice is now to my right. I look up to see professor Dumbledore standing above me. "Surely you can't already have given up on the school."

He sits down beside me and joins in looking out onto the lake. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"What do you want?" I ask him.

He smiles at me, obviously having no issue with my rudeness. "Your time here will be very difficult for you if you do not make friends and open up to them. I noticed that you are friendly with Harry and a few of the Weasleys, but still, here you are, alone."

"I like being alone," I respond. "I'm used to it. And what does it matter to you, anyway?"

"I wish to see my students happy," he replies. "And you are not."

"Would you be?" I retort. "Most of the students here won't talk to me because of my name. You heard the whispering when I was sorted. I'm like some museum attraction."

He places his hand on my arm, "You must make a name for yourself, Taylor. You must prove to the school that you are not your father, just as you explained to Professor Snape that you weren't."

I look at him in surprise. "How did you know about that?"

He smiles at me. "I've been keeping tabs on you with the teachers to see how you were faring. Professor Snape informed me of your skill at potions and your conversation as well."

I shake my head, and he stands up. "Think on it, Taylor. Your time here will be much more enjoyable if you do not constantly brood."

I watch him walk back up to the castle and look back to the lake, where the giant squid had just emerged.

I stand up, deciding that I should get to dinner and walk through the beautiful Hogwarts grounds back to the Great Hall. Harry and Ron are already sitting at the table, along with Fred and George across from them.

I choose a seat on George's right, which happens to be on his brother Percy's left. Percy looks down at me and then stands up, moving to a seat further down the table. I pick up my fork and stab it into my steak.

"Don't mind him," Fred states, having seen what happened. "He can be a git sometimes."

"Yeah," George states. "He had warned us about, uh- 'fraternizing' with you. But I say we should be able to fraternize all we want."

"Thanks," I state standing up. "But maybe it would be better if you didn't." I walk out of the great hall and make me way up to the astronomy tower. The sun is just beginning to set and I sit down on the tower's edge, my legs hanging over the stone wall.

"You shouldn't be here," I hear Professor Snape's voice sound from behind me.

I turn to face him and notice that he's looking past me at the sunset. "It's not past curfew, Sir."

"The headmaster saw you leave dinner early and asked me to go check on you since I've been the only professor that you've seemed to talk any to."

"How'd you know I was here?" I ask.

"I followed you," he states sitting down next to me and looking out to the grounds. "I used to come here often when a student to be alone."

We sit there in silence watching the sun set and when it gets dark he stands up and offers his hand for me to do the same. I take his hand and he pulls me up.

"You should get back to your common room now," he states, beginning the walk down the steps of the tower. "Your classmates will be wondering where you've been."

I scoff at him. "Doubt it."

When we get to the entrance hall I say bye and leave him to go up to the Gryffindor common room. I walk in and all eyes in the room instantly go to me, most with looks of detest. Fred and George, however, wave me over to the table they were sitting at. I sit down between them and they both lean down so to whisper.

"You know," Fred starts. "When most people in the school hate you for no reason, you probably shouldn't seclude yourself from the few people who don't."

I shrug at him and George smiles. "Maybe you should give them a reason to hate you."

"What are you suggesting?" I ask.

"Well, it's about this time in the year when Fred and I begin pranking people. If interested, we could always use a little help.

I look to Fred and then to George. "Okay," I state. "Sounds fun. What do you have in mind?"

For the next half hour we went over the plan for breakfast tomorrow on what to do to the Slytherins. Fred and George figured that if I was seen pranking the Slytherins that the Gryffindor house would start to lighten up to me, seeing that I wasn't the dark witch that they thought I was.

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**Any comments are appreciated.**

**I also posted my first oneshot,**

**Rated MA if interested,**

**Entitled "Distraction."**

**A HG/GW pairing.**

**I know that all writers ask it,**

**But please review.**

**I thrive on acknowledgement. **


	4. In her Father's Footsteps

**And on to chapter four…**

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I woke and dressed about fifteen minutes earlier than I usually would on a Saturday, and met Fred and George in the common room. "You remember the charm?" Fred asks me.

"Yeah," I reply with a smile, and we make our way down to the great hall. Getting to our table we sit facing the head table, also facing the Slytherins. The hall is emptier than it usually is for breakfast and we wait for it to fill up with the later waking students. George nudges me as Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle walk in and sit at their table, their backs towards us.

"Now," George states. We each aim our wands at a target, mine being Malfoy, and change their hair the most lucid coloring we could come up with. I crack up laughing as Crabbe's hair turns a bright magenta, Goyle's an obnoxious neon orange, and Malfoy's a dark yellow with a badger, Hufflepuff's colors.

"Nice touch," Fred states laughing, giving me a high five. There is thunderous laughing as the hall notices the sudden change to the three until McGonagall's voice rand out through the hall. "Quiet!"

The reaction was abrupt and silence filled the hall. "Mr. Weasley's," She begins. "Follow me."

Fred and George stand, bowing. When they see her glare they stop and begin walking with her out of the hall.

"Professor," I state, standing up.

"What is it Black?" She snaps at me.

"They weren't alone," I reply.

She gives me a peculiar look and then glares at me as well. "Very well then, follow me."

I follow her along with Fred and George to a room I find out to be her office. "Sit," she states.

I take a seat in between Fred and George, taking in my surrounding. The twins seem not to care much which gives me the impression that they've been in here before.

"Starting a little early this year?" She asks looking back and forth at Fred and George.

They both make identical shrugs and I smile.

"What is so funny, Miss Black?" McGonagall states, annoyed.

I smirk at her. "Weren't you just in the Great Hall, Professor?"

George looks at me, impressed by my daring to speak to McGonagall like that.

"Well let's see how you find a week's worth of detentions funny, Black." I sigh and she looks to Fred and George. "You two can leave now."

They both stand up and squeeze my shoulder before leaving. "So," McGonagall starts when we're alone. "Thought you'd take a leaf out of your father's book?"

"No, Professor," I reply with a glare.

"Well you're doing a good impression of it," she retorts. "I'd of thought that being raised by Lupin would have squashed your father's behaviors from you, but I suppose that blood is indeed thicker than water. I'll talk to you at dinner to inform you of what your detentions will consist of."

I stand up and walk out of the room. Furious, I walk down an empty hallway, round, and punch the wall. "Fuck," I state and sit down with my back against it, cradling my throbbing hand. I sit there a good ten minutes until I hear footsteps approaching me.

I look up and am face to face with Malfoy. "Great," I mutter. "Do whatever you want for retaliation; I'm really not in the mood."

He looks at me for a second and then sits directly across from me, his back against the opposite wall. "Black, right?"

I nod at him and it looks like he's fighting against saying something. "My, uh-," he pauses and then breathes in deep. "My mother told me about you."

I look at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I got a letter from her after she found out that we're going to school together," He pauses to make sure no one was around us. "She told me everything. You're my half-sister."

"Does your father know?" I quickly ask.

He shakes his head. "No and he won't, and I'm not planning on telling anyone here because he'd find out."

I breathe a sigh of relief and take my wand out of my back pocket, waving it to change his hair back to normal.

"Thanks," he says with an awkward smile.

I shrug. "I did it."

We sit there in silence for almost a minute. "You sure you should be seen talking to me?" I ask him.

"Probably not," he replies. "But I'd like to get to know you. You are my sister."

I nod at him. "Yeah, me too. So what? Pretend to hate each other in public?"

"Yeah," he agrees, grinning. "And meet up in private?"

"Sounds like a plan," I reply standing up. "If you'll excuse me, I think I broke my hand," I state, holding my fist out to show him.

"So I'll see you around?" He asks.

"Of course," I say, and make my way to the hospital wing, where within seconds; Madam Pomfrey fixes my hand and sends me back to the Gryffindor common room.

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**This one's a bit short.**

**I promise that won't be a common occurrence.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**


	5. Birthday Greetings

**And here's chapter five-**

**This will probably be the last one uploaded until after break.**

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I wake late the next morning and find Harry and Ron in front of the bulletin board.

"What's up?" I ask and Ron gestures towards a notice, stating that we'll be having flying lessons starting on Thursday with the Slytherins.

"Typical," Harry says. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."

"Try having detention all this week, and besides, you don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," I reply. "Most first years have never even sat on a broom, you're not alone."

All of the first years were incredibly nervous about flying. On Thursday morning at lunch, Hermione Granger bored us all with facts about flying that she had read. Her lecture, however, was interrupted by the arrival of the mail. I groan as three owls land in front of me. I had forgotten the date, the eleventh, and my birthday.

I sigh and open the first parcel, which contains a birthday card and cake from Remus along with an advanced potions book, all of which I shrink and place in my bag.

"We didn't know it was your birthday," Harry says, having taken notice to my cake. Beside him Ron nods.

"Nor us," George says, sitting on my right, and Fred sits down on my left.

I shrug at them. "It's not a big deal."

"You're 12 then?" George asks me.

"Yeah," I reply opening the second parcel, from Tonks, which contains a card and a framed picture of the two of us, making me smile.

"You're old for your year," Fred states. "We're only 13."

George leans over my shoulder and looks down at the picture. "That your sister?" He asks me.

I shake my head, and place it down on top of Remus' gifts in my bag. "She's a cousin of mine. I'm sure she's somehow related to you guys as well, like all the purebloods. Her name is Tonks, well Nymphadora, but she goes by Tonks."

I look at the third owl and take off the letter it had been carrying. I frown as I don't recognize the handwriting on the envelope. I slowly open it to reveal a five page note. I thumb to the last page to see a signature and my eyes grow wide. Sirius.

I stand up quickly, and the table looks at me. "Um- I have to go."

"You'll miss flying lessons!" Ron states.

I throw my bag over my shoulder. "I don't need them," I state and run out of the hall, narrowly missing running into McGonagall. She calls after me and I ignore her. I stop running when I reach the grounds and I sit down at a tree a small distance off from the lake and begin reading the letter.

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I ignore the approaching footsteps and continue hugging my legs to my chest staring down at the letter by my feet.

"What way is this to spend a birthday?" Professor Dumbledore asks, sitting down beside me.

I continue staring down at my feet. "Why do you care so much about me?"

"I care about all of my students, Taylor." He responds, "What's wrong?"

I hand him the letter and bury my face in my hands. I let him read the letter and then look up to face him when I think he's done. He puts the note back down by my feet and looks me in the eyes.

I start laughing. "A street full of eye witnesses and he claims he was framed! He expects me to believe that?"

Dumbledore doesn't respond for a moment and then stands up. "I don't know Taylor. Maybe he just wants some sort of correspondence."

I shrug and stand up as well, picking the note up with me. "Sir, would you mind not telling any one of this? If people think we've been communicating, things will just get worse for me."

"I had no intention of doing so," he states, gesturing me back to the castle.

We arrive back in the castle just in time for dinner. I take my usual seat at the very end of the table and am joined by Harry and Ron, who instantly relay all that I missed at flying lessons. I smile as Ron retells how Malfoy took Neville's Remembral and flew above the grounds to hide it in a tree after Neville had gone to the hospital wing. Harry had followed Malfoy, and Malfoy threw it, having Harry catch it. McGonagall had seen the entire thing and it had earned Harry a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as seeker.

"Good job, Harry," I say. "You know your father played."

He nods at me, "McGonagall told me. Do you know what position?"

"Chaser."

"I'm really excited," Harry says. "Just don't tell anyone. The captain, Wood, wants to keep it a secret."

Just then, Fred and George come bounding over to the table, sitting on either side of me. "Well done," says George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too-Beaters."

"I tell you we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," says Fred. "We haven't won since our brother Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."

"Anyway, we've got to go now, meeting with Lee."

Fred and George had hardly disappeared when Malfoy shows up, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Having a last mean, Potter? When are you getting a train back to the muggles? I'd take you on anytime on my own," he says. He glances quickly to me and then back at Harry. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only-no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"

I smile as Ron interjects. "Of course he has, I'm his second, who's yours?"

Malfoy looks back and forth at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up. "Crabbe. Midnight, all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."

Malfoy walks away and Harry and Ron look at each other.

I stand up with a loud sigh. Noticing that Hermione Granger had heard the whole conversation I glare at her and she looks away quickly. It seems she's spoken to Lavender and Pavarti, because she's stopped trying to make conversation with me.

"I've got detention," I state, as they look up at me. "Be careful, chances are he's setting you up. I doubt that he knows any magic to use during a duel."

Harry and Ron both thank me and I leave the Great Hall and head towards McGonagall's office for the fifth night in a row. I knock on the door and I hear her voice tell me to enter. I walk in and begin to place my bag on the floor when she gestures for me to stop.

"You'll be helping professor Snape tonight," she states. "He'll be waiting for you in his classroom to give you instructions."

"Okay," I state and walk back out of her office and down to the dungeons. "Professor?" I ask, peeking my head through the door.

"Over here, Black," he replies and ushers me to a cauldron. "I have papers to grade and Madame Pomfrey has requested that I brew some more Pepper-up potion. So I'm leaving it in your hands." He gestures to a large cabinet. "Ingredients and text books are in there."

I nod at him showing that I understand and watch as he walks back over to his desk. This should be easy. I've made the potion loads of times for Remus after a full moon. I reach into my bag and pull out the potions book that Remus had given me, and look through the index, smiling when I find the potion. I read the instructions and then walk over to the cabinet, pulling out the ingredients that I will need.

I measure all ingredients before hand, and then, according to the directions add them to the boiling cauldron.

I add the last ingredient and smile when the potion turns the bright red that it's supposed to be.

"Very nice," Snape says from behind me and I jump.

"I didn't even see you move, Sir," I state.

He takes the ladle from my hand and stirs the potion to test thickness. "_Very _nice," he says again. "You've made this before?"

"Yes Sir," I reply, beginning to clean up and put un-used ingredients back in the cabinet. "I've made it for Remus before when we've run out to help counter the affects of the full-" I stop, realizing what I almost admitted.

"I know that Lupin is a werewolf," Snape says with a sneer. "Your father made sure of that. Almost got me killed."

I don't reply, and Snape shakes himself back into reality. "It's half past twelve, what do you say we call it a night?"

"Do you want me to vile the potion first?" I ask him.

He shakes his head at me. "That can wait to morning. I'm sure you want to enjoy some of your birthday."

"Don't remind me," I reply, frowning.

He frowns as well. "Just think how I feel. My birthday is on Christmas. Two things I hate on the same day."

I sigh and he gestures me out of the classroom. I take my time getting back to the common room, enjoying the silence of the school, it being way past curfew. I give the fat lady the password "pig snout" and sit down before the fire, getting parchment and a quill out to tell Remus about the letter I had received. I am just finishing my first paragraph when Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville all come rushing through the portrait hole and sit down around me.

"What got into you guys?" I ask. "Afraid of Malfoy now?"

"There's a three headed dog in the corridor on the third floor!" Ron shouts at me, and then explains how I had been right Malfoy had set them up, and how Hermione and Neville had tagged along with them. "What do they think they're doing, keeping a think like that locked up in a school?"

"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" Hermione snaps looking back and forth from Harry to Ron. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"The floor?" Harry suggests. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."

"No, _not_ the floor. It was standing on a trap door. It's obviously guarding something."

She stands up and glares at Harry and Ron. "I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed- or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

Ron stares at her as she leaves, his mouth open wide. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?" He looks to me, "How come she doesn't bother you?"

"I assume that Pavarti and Lavender informed her that I hate muggle borns," I reply, looking back down to the letter I was writing.

"But you don't," Harry states in confusion.

I look back up at him and choose my words carefully. "You've missed out on some things being raised by Muggles, Harry. But it you think Malfoy is bad, he's nothing compared to the Blacks, just ask Neville or Ron here," I say, gesturing to the both of them. Neville has refused to meet my eyes since we first met, and he jumps a little when I say his name.

"But you're different," replies Harry, not noticing Neville's reaction.

"Yeah," I say nodding. "But I had very limited contact with my family. I was raised by my godfather, so it meant little difference to me that I was pure-blood. My grandmother however, made sure to send me reminders of my heritage. A load of rubbish if you ask me."

Ron yawns and suggests going to bed. I agree and stand up with the others. I walk to the staircase and stop, turning around. "Neville, can I talk to you for a second?"

He looks at me positively frightened as Harry and Ron continue to their room, leaving the two of us alone. "I swear I'll only be a minute."

He continues standing there so I walk up to him. "Neville," I start. "I know why you don't look at me and I want you to know that I am nothing like my family. The Lestranges are dirt to me, and it was absolutely horrible what they did. My godfather knew your parents well, he's told me how great they were. I hope that you don't judge me on my relatives."

He stands there with no response. "I'll see you tomorrow, Neville, I need some sleep." I turn and walk up the staircase to the dorm, leaving Neville alone in the common room. Upstairs, I quickly finish the note to Remus and send it off with Onyx. Not bothering to change into pajamas, I jump into bed.

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**So-**

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	6. The Marauder Maps

**Back from Break!**

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I noticed at breakfast the next morning that Malfoy couldn't believe that Harry and Ron were still there.

Harry had just filled me in on his trip to the wizarding bank with Hagrid over the summer, and how the break-in at the back was from the vault Hagrid had emptied. He concluded that whatever was taken from that vault is not being guarded by the three headed dog. But the question remained, what was it?

"It's either something really valuable or really dangerous," says Ron.

"Or both," I reply.

All Harry can tell us was that the object was about two inches long. So that doesn't help at all in trying to discover what it is.

To my right I notice Hermione keeps glancing at us but refuses to speak to either Ron or Harry, much to their joy.

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The next week had gone by quickly. To my enjoyment, Snape had chosen to simply not talk to me in class, which allowed me to work correctly. Every so often he would even nod when my potion came out particularly well.

I had happened to earn another three detentions, when McGonagall caught me hexing a third year Ravenclaw who had informed me just what he thought of my heritage. My story seemed not to matter to her as she told me to get to her office. I had been told by Remus a while ago that she had taken a liking to my father while he was at school, and look at how he turned out. Maybe she just has it out against me.

I wake up on Sunday to Hermione scurrying, muttering about going to be late for breakfast. I dress quickly and meet Harry and Ron downstairs. It's become habit for us to wait for whoever is taking longer to get up and walk to breakfast together.

"You finish your Transfiguration essay?" Ron asks me as we exit through the portrait hole.

I shake my head. "I didn't start it. 'The steps to changing a beetle into a button.' Who is she kidding?"

"You're not going to do it?" Harry asks me.

I shake my head at him. "What is she going to do, assign me another detention?"

Entering the Great Hall we sit at the end of the table. Ron to my left and Harry across from us. As per usual the owl post comes flooding into the hall. We all look up to see a long thin package carried by six owls, and it is dropped right in front of Harry. Another owl appears and drops a letter on top of it.

I watch as Harry opens the letter quickly and smiles, handing it to me and Ron when he's done. I read McGonagall's handwriting stating not to open the package at the table for it contains his new broom and he'll be meeting Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, at seven tonight for training.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even _touched _one."

"Hey, can I go with you to watch your training?" I ask Harry. "I haven't been allowed out in a while; I'd like some fresh air."

Harry agrees and he and Ron leave the Hall quickly to unwrap the broomstick. I decide to stay for breakfast and Fred and George sit down across from me.

"What was that about?" George asks, gesturing towards the door where Harry and Ron had just left from.

"Harry's broomstick came," I reply, and they both nod at me, shoving food into their mouths.

"You have plans for today?" George asks me quietly, leaning over the table.

I shake my head. "Not until around seven."

I watch as Fred leans across the table as well. "Would you like to have plans?"

I study them both closely. "Like what?"

"Well," George states, keeping his voice low. "We happen to know a few passage ways out of Hogwarts grounds, and we fancied a little trip to Hogsmeade, if you're interested."

I smile at them. "And how do you expect not to get caught?"

Fred grins and pulls an old piece of parchment out of his back pocket. "We have our ways."

My eyes widen in surprise. They both notice and look quickly to each other. "You know what this is?" George asks me, in great surprise.

"How'd you get a Marauder map?" I ask, stunned. I know for a fact that there were four copies of the particular piece of parchment that Fred is holding. It happens to be a map of the school of Hogwarts, complete with passages and people. Each creator, nicknamed either Moony, Wormtal, Padfoot or Prongs, had a copy of it; Remus being 'Moony' gave me his.

"You know about it?" Fred asks me.

I reach into my bag and pull out an almost identical piece of parchment. "You could say that, but how did you get one?"

By their look of astonishment I can tell that they were unaware that there were other copies. "We nicked it from Filch's office in our first year," George states. "We doubt that he ever figured out how to use it."

I shake my head at him. "Filch is a Squib, he has no clue what it is."

"How'd you get one?" Fred asks me.

"I have my own ways," I reply, earning glares. "Whose handwriting is the largest on you maps?"

Fred and George turn to each other to think for a moment. "Padfoot," George replies. "Why?"

"That's whose copy you have," I reply, pretending I wasn't bothered by his answer. It so happens that 'Padfoot' was my father. "I have Moony's. I know that Wormtail's was lost in a fire and I have no idea about Prong's."

"How do you know all of this?" Fred asks, as he gestures out of the Hall. I stand up and follow them both out and into the castle.

"I happened upon my copy directly," I state.

"You- You know them?" George asks in astonishment.

"I know Moony," I reply. "And of the others."

"Who are they?"

I shake my head. "I can't tell you that, why else do you think they went by nicknames?"

"Wow," Fred states. "We owe so much to them. Could you thank Moony for us?"

I smile. "I think I can manage that one. So, Hogsmeade?"

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**Please tell me what you think ******


	7. Introducing Oliver Wood

**Taylor's mother will be brought up later, but yes, good guess. ******

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I get back to the castle from Hogsmeade at about six and run to the common room to meet Harry.

"You want to go down early?" He asks as I enter the room. I can tell that he has been waiting anxiously to fly some.

"Sure," I reply, heading back out of the portrait hole. "Ron coming?"

Harry shakes his head. "He's writing his paper for McGonagall."

We enter the pitch and stop to look around. There were hundreds of raised seats arranged by house, and three sets of rings on either side. I look at Harry, "So, what are you waiting for?"

I can't help smiling as Harry mounts his broom and kicks off. I watch him from the entrance of the pitch as he races through the rings.

"Who are you?" I hear a voice ask from behind me.

I turn and a boy about 15 walks towards me with a large wooden crate under his left arm.

I gesture to the sky. "I'm a friend of Harry's."

He drops the crate at our feet and holds his hand out. "Oliver Wood, I'm the Gryffindor team captain."

"Taylor Black, I'll be trying out next year."

He studies me for a moment. "What position?"

"Chaser," I reply.

"Ability runs in the family then?" He asks.

"What do you mean?"

This time Oliver gestures up at Harry. "I've heard that his father and yours were two of the best Chasers that Hogwarts has ever seen."

"I wouldn't know," I reply and we stand there in silence for a second.

"Well I should start this," Oliver states, and calls out to Harry. "Hey, Potter, come down!"

We both watch as Harry flies over and lands beside us.

"Very nice," Oliver states, smiling. "I see what McGonagall meant…You really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining the team practice three times a week. He looks at me, "if you want to grab a broom out of the locker room, you could help me out here."

I smile at him and run to a door to my right labeled 'locker room.' In the back corner I see a broom rack and I choose a Cleansweep 7 from the bunch. I run back out to join Harry and Oliver, who was explaining the different balls to Harry.

Oliver looks up to me. "That's Fred Weasley's broom you have there. I suggest being careful with it. You don't want to wake up a different color."

"No problem," I reply. "I know how Fred is."

"Alright then," Oliver states, throwing a club at me. "What do you say we teach Harry how to block a Bludger?"

"I'd say it sounds pretty fun," I reply with a smirk, glancing at Harry's worried expression.

Oliver reaches in the crate and unlatches one of the two Bludgers and holds it tight under his left arm. In his right hand he grabs the other club and his broomstick. "Follow me," he says as he flies into the air.

I hold on tight to the club in my right hand and I kick off into the air, enjoying the feeling of flying. Oliver gestures me across the stadium from his and Harry in between the two of us. Oliver lets go of the Bludger and it instantly pelts towards Harry, who quickly dodges it. Having missed Harry, it sends itself towards me. I grab the bat with both of my hands and send it flying back towards Harry who just barely misses it. He steadies himself and glares in my direction.

"Watch it!" Oliver yells out, batting the Bludger back towards Harry again. We continue on this way for about 25 minutes until Oliver catches the Bludger and descends down to the crate. Harry and I look at each other and then follow Oliver back to the crate.

"Nice job," Oliver states, beaming at Harry. "Both of you," he says turning towards me. "Seriously, if you were a year older you'd be on the team as well."

"Thanks," I reply. "As I told you, I'll be trying out next year."

He smiles at me and shakes his head. "Alright Harry, you're going to be seeker. What do you say we practice with these?" He asks, holding up a bag of golf balls. "It's not worth letting a snitch out in an empty stadium and losing it in the dark."

Harry nods and Oliver turns towards me. "I won't be needing your help with this one. You're welcome to stay and fly for a bit or just sit and watch."

"Right then," I say with a smirk, and kick off into the air once more. I fly up so that I'm a good distance above where Oliver is throwing golf balls at and around Harry. I take this opportunity to scope out the three goal posts and to time myself at flying certain distances. I entertain myself this way for a while and look down to Harry and Oliver seeing that Oliver is on his last few balls. Slowly I begin to descend and wait for the two of them at Oliver's crate.

Harry joins me first as Oliver cleans up the golf balls with a summoning charm.

"Have fun?" I ask him.

He only smiles at me as Oliver walks over towards us. "Well it's pretty dark out now, so let's get back up to the castle." We make a stop in the locker room to put the crate back along with Fred's broom and then exited the stadium for the walk back up to the castle.

The three of us talked about classes on our way back to the common room and when we reached the portrait of the fat lady, Oliver held me back as Harry went in to most likely join Ron.

"What is it?" I ask him.

"Listen," he states. "You're better than all the players who tried to fill empty positions this year. I was wondering if you'd be willing to be a reserve player if someone on the team got injured or something and was unable to play. From the looks of it, you'd be a decent replacement for any position."

I stare at him. "Sure," I reply. "But is that allowed? I mean, I know that Harry is a special case, but I thought that first years weren't allowed."

"I'd manage it," Oliver states. "But remember, this would be in a last case scenario."

"I understand," I reply, nodding at him. "Thank you, Oliver."

"No, thank you. If you're coming into a game I'm obviously in your debt as you'd be doing me a huge favor."

"Well," I start with a smirk. "As much as I hope it won't be that case that you'll be needing me, I also hope that maybe you will."

He smiles and gestures through the portrait hole. "Let's just hope it won't come to that. I have some homework that I need to be finishing, so I'll see you later then?" He asks as he reaches the boys stairs.

"I'm assuming so," I reply with a smirk.

He shakes his head at me and ascends the stairs to his room.

I laugh at him and shake my head as well, watching as he climbs the stairs.

"Something going on between you two?"

I jump at the voice behind me and glare as I come face to face with George.

"Do you have a problem with simple conversation?" I ask.

"Not at all," he replies, sitting down in an armchair.

I follow and sit in the couch to the left of Fred and the right of George's armchair. I turn to Fred. "I hope you don't mind, but I used your broom at Harry's practice today."

"No problem," he replies. "Who am I to mind when a cute girl voluntarily sits on my broomstick?"

"Funny," I state sarcastically as George cracks up laughing. I watch as George gets up and joins two girls I recognize as Angelina and Alicia, two chasers on the Gryffindor team.

"I was just joking, you know," Fred states, placing his hand on my arm. "I'd rather you not think I was disgusting."

"Why's that?" I ask, looking down at where his hand is still resting on my arm. He notices where my gaze is and quickly recoils, blushing.

"I think you're a pretty nice girl, I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression of me," he replies softly.

I stand up and ruffle his hair. "I haven't, however, I've got a letter I need to mail tonight before curfew," I state pulling my reply to my father's letter out of my robe pocket. "Care to take a walk to the Owlery with me?"

Fred smiles and stands up with me. "Why not? Just let me tell George that I'll be gone for a bit, I think we had something with Lee planned for tonight."

I watch as Fred approaches George and gestures in my direction. George says something and Fred elbows him and shakes his head.

"What was that about?" I ask Fred as he walks up to me.

"Nothing," he replies and we walk out of the common room. "George and I just like joking with each other."

"I didn't notice," I reply sarcastically.

"I can see why you have so many friends," he replies, bumping into me.

"Hey," I state, bumping back into him. "Some people find my sarcasm to be endearing."

"Hah. Which people?"

"Hmph."

I ignore him until we reach the Owlery. "Do you see Onyx at all?" I ask, looking up into the rafters.

"Up there," he says pointing up to my right.

"Onyx, I have a letter for you."

I watch as she fluffs her feathers and coos at me. She flies down from her perch and lands on my shoulder, sticking out her leg.

"Hey girl," I say, petting her head. I take the letter back out of my pocket and attach it to her leg. I look behind me where Fred is watching and put my mouth to Onyx' ear. "Deliver this one to Azkaban, Onyx. Okay girl?"

She coos and nuzzles her head against me, spreads her wings, and takes off into the night.

"So," Fred says walking up to me. "Is there a reason that I shouldn't know who that letter was to?"

I look down at my feet, trying to come up with an explanation.

"Does it have anything to do with the letter you received on your birthday?"

I don't respond and he lifts my chin up with his hand. "You don't need to tell me, but if you ever want to talk to someone, you can talk to me. I know that you really don't talk to people here."

I sigh and gesture to the stone wall around the bottom of the tower, and sit down. Fred follows sitting down next to me on my right.

"You're right," I start. "The letter was in response to the one I had gotten earlier. It was from my father."

Fred doesn't respond so I continue. "I've never had any contact with him and he writes me out of no where, telling me that he was framed and that he'd like to get to know me despite being in Azkaban. Twelve years of my life and I hear nothing from him, and now he just-"

I stop myself before I start to cry, feeling it coming, and look down at my hands. Fred still says nothing but pulls me into a hug. I don't respond at first, but when I start to cry I embrace him as well, holding him tight.

Fred pulls away just enough so that he can look me in the eyes. He removes one of his arms from around me and wipes the tears from my face, once I've stopped crying. He rests his forehead against my own. "Are you okay?" He asks.

I nod slightly and close my eyes, feeling Fred's breath against my face. Slowly, I open my eyes to meet his own piercing green ones. It seems at the same time we've both realized how physically close we are to each other. I see him glance quickly away from my eyes and down to my lips and instinctively I turn my head as he does also.

I close my eyes once more as our lips meet. His kiss is soft and gentle. Once we realize what just happened we break away quickly and look down to our laps, sitting there in awkward silence.

Fred speaks first. "I'm sorry, I- I didn't mean to- I mean, I've never- I-that was my first- I…I'm sorry."

I look back up at him and smile. "Me too," I say softly. "That was my first too."

"Really?" He asks, looking back at me.

I nod at him and use the sleeves of my robe to wipe my eyes. "Sorry for crying on you," I state. "I'm not really used to crying in front of people."

"Don't worry about it," Fred replies standing up. "It's got to be about curfew now, what do you say we head back?"

I shake my head at him. "I think I'm going to stay here for a bit. You should get back though; I wouldn't want you to get into trouble because of me."

Fred smiles at me. "I really don't need you to get into trouble, but if you'd like to be alone for a bit I'll leave."

"Thanks Fred." He bends down to kiss my forehead and I watch him as he walks out of the Owlery.

When the sound of his footsteps finally disappears, I stand up and look out onto the dark grounds. I stand there thinking about whether I should tell Remus about writing to my father until the cold air gets to me and I decide to head back to the common room. Just as I turn the corner out of the Owlery I see McGonagall walking right towards me.

"Black," she sneers. "What are you doing out of the common room past curfew?"

"Sending a letter, professor."

She glares at me, "A likely story. To who then?"

I sigh. "My father," I reply shortly.

I am unable to read the look on her face, but it is not a happy one. "Follow me."

She turns on her heel and I follow her down the tower and down the grand stair case until we reach a statue of a stone gargoyle. "Lemon Drops," She states and the Gargoyle moves a side to reveal a spiral staircase. I follow her to the top of the staircase until she reaches a door and knocks.

"Come in," I hear Dumbledore's voice respond.

McGonagall opens the door to reveal Dumbledore's office. He is seated behind a giant cluttered desk with hundreds of wizarding tools and books scattered around him.

"Ah, miss Black. What is the occasion?"

I shrug at him and McGonagall replies.

"I found Black here in the Owlery past curfew claiming to have just sent a letter out to her father."

Dumbledore turns his attention back to me. "Is this so?"

"Yeah," I reply. "That's about it."

He looks back up to McGonagall. "She seems to admit to being out past curfew, so what is the issue here?"

I can't help smiling as McGonagall looks as though she's been kicked. "This girl was writing to a known murderer!"

"Taylor," Dumbledore states with emphasis, "was writing to a family member. We by no means have the authority to restrict that."

McGonagall doesn't reply, seemingly unable to decide on words. "Minerva," Dumbledore states, "Let me take matters from here, please."

She stiffly nods and leaves the office, leaving me alone with Dumbledore.

"That was not a wise decision, Taylor."

"What wasn't?" I ask him.

He pauses. "If you are to be writing your father, I suggest not letting other staff members be made aware, no matter their loyalties."

"Am I in trouble then?"

He shakes his head. "For nothing other than being out past curfew. I am afraid that I will have to assign you a detention for that. Professor Snape's office at seven tomorrow night."

I smile slightly and Dumbledore laughs at me. "That is not the typical reaction that students give when assigned a detention with Severus."

I shrug and he shoos me out of his office telling me to get some sleep. I make my way back up to my dorm and do just that.

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**Please review.**


	8. Halloween and a Special Power

**Chapter 8 here,**

**Thank you for the reviews.**

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On Halloween morning Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that we would be learning to make objects fly.

He split the class up into pairs. Harry was with Seamus Finnigan, Ron with Hermione, and I was placed with Neville. Since I spoke with Neville he has no longer been afraid of me, but being placed as is partner was certainly a danger. Neville was quite accident prone, and I am led to believe that Flitwick placed me with him on purpose. I wasn't too worried because Flitwick had us working with feathers. Hermione, however hadn't spoken to Harry or Ron since Harry got his broom stick, so I in no way envied Ron.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important too- never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

I notice Neville's worried look and smile. "Don't worry Neville. Once you have the pronunciation down the rest is easy, I promise. Watch." I point my wand at the feather in front of me and state "_Wingardium Leviosa." _The feather floated upwards off my desk. Flitwick caught my eye for a split second and quickly looked back down. I brought my wand back down so the feather landed back on the deck and looked back at Neville. "See? Just remember to pronounce the 'gar' and 'o' longer, and you'll have no problem."

He smiles at me, "Thanks, Tay."

I nod and look around the room where Seamus just caught his feather on fire and Harry was putting it out with his hat.

I turn to my right where Ron is waving his arms in circles shouting "_Wingardium Leviosa!"_

"You're saying it wrong," I hear Hermione snap. "It's Wing-_gar_-dium Levi-_o_-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

With ease, Hermione's feather rose off her desk and hovered about four feet from their heads.

I can't help glaring as Flitwick reacts to her success, seeing as he already witnessed me being able to perform the charm. "Oh, well done!" he cries, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Both Ron and myself were in very bad moods by the end of class, and even pretending to 'accidentally' send Flitwick flying across the classroom couldn't help my mood any. Especially the detention that went along with it. Somehow he recognized it was done intentionally.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Ron said about Hermione as we pushed our way through the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."

Someone knocked into me as they hurried past. It was Hermione. Catching a glimpse of her face I could tell that she was crying.

"I think she heard you," Harry stated.

"So?" replied Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must have noticed that she's got no friends."

We didn't see Hermione at all for the rest of the afternoon and on our way to the Halloween feast we overheard Lavender and Parvati stating that Hermione was crying in the girl's bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Harry looks to me and I shrug, walking over to the Gryffindor table and beginning to eat, watching the live bats swoop around over the tables.

I watch Harry lean over the table to grab a baked potato and Professor Quirrell runs into the hall, terror apparent on his face. The Hall goes silent as he stops in front of Dumbledore. "Troll- in the dungeons,- thought you ought to know."

There was uproar as he fainted until Dumbledore shot out several firecrackers from the tip of his wand.

"Prefects," he rumbled. "lead your House back to the dormitories immediately."

Percy Weasley quickly got on that and ordered the table to follow closely behind him.

"I don't see how a troll could have possibly got into the castle," I state as we climb up the stairs. "They're not the most brilliant of magical creatures." We made some side steps in order to avoid walking into a group of Hufflepuffs, when Harry suddenly stops, grabbing mine and Ron's arms.

"I've just though- Hermione."

"Shit," I reply at the same time as Ron asks, "What about her?"

"She doesn't know about the troll," I state, rolling my eyes at him. "Come on," I say leading them into the Huffllepuff crowd.

Turning down a deserted corridor towards the girl's bathroom, we hear steps approaching from behind and quickly hide behind a large stone Griffin.

Carefully we peer around the Griffin to see Snape and watch as he crosses the corridor and then disappears.

"What is he doing?" Harry asks. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

I frown as I continue watching where Snape disappeared to. "No idea."

We quietly get out from behind the statue and follow Snape. "He's heading to the third floor," Harry states in confusion.

I sniff as a disgusting smell reaches my nose, and I turn around quickly. At the end of the hall, moving towards us rather quickly, is a twelve foot troll.

"Um- Harry."

Harry turns around and hurriedly gestures me and Ron back into the shadows of the hallway. We watch as it walks up to a doorway, and slowly walks inside.

"The key's in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."

"I don't think that's such a great idea," I reply just as the high pitched scream of Hermione reaches our ears.

Harry and I immediately run towards the door, and a hesitant Ron follows. Entering the bathroom we see Hermione against the opposite wall looking horrified, and who could blame her. The troll was advancing on her, clubbing sinks as it got closer.

"Hermione!" I shout. "Run towards us, through its legs!"

She jumps at my voice, not noting that Harry, Ron and I were there, and doesn't move. Harry and Ron stare at me, wondering why I would lead the troll towards us as well.

I ignore them. "Just do it!" I yell.

Hermione is frozen in fear and remains against the wall. Ron looks to the left and grabs a broken sink tap, and heaves it at the back of the troll's head, causing it to turn towards him. Harry uses this distraction to run around the troll to Hermione. "Come on!" He yells to the immobile and terrified Hermione. The troll continues towards Ron, and Harry seeing this, foolishly jumps on the trolls back. Having his wand in his hand, it goes right up the troll's nose as Harry hooks his arms around its neck.

Needless to say, the troll did not appreciate having a wand shoved up its nose, and instantly heaved Harry off his back, directly into me. Harry's force slams me against the wall and my head hits hard against the jagged stone.

I get up slowly, very much angered and in pain. I take my wand out of my back pocket and do some very quick thinking, trying to remember curses I have read over. "Impedimenta!" I shout. Blue sparks fly out of my wand and miraculously the troll freezes, his club held high above his head. Not having ever frozen something that large, I was incredibly surprised, and judging by the looks I received, as were the other three occupants of the room.

I look behind me and hold out a hand to Harry, helping to pull him to his feet. He thanks me and his attention goes to his wand where a decent amount of troll buggers hang off of. "What did you do to it?"

"A freezing jinx," I reply, looking towards Hermione, debating trying to comfort her. As I take a step towards her McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell burst into the room. All three of them with wands drawn. Quirrell looks at the frozen troll and lets out a faint whimper. I watch as he quickly sits down on a toilet holding his heart.

Snape walks around the troll, sizing it up. McGonagall, however, was looking at Harry, Ron and I. I had never seen her so angry, not even when she had assigned me the detentions I had received. Her lips were white.

"What on earth were you thinking?" she said, with cold fury in her voice. I look quickly to Harry. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Snape gives Harry a piercing look, and Harry immediately turns his eyes to the floor. When Snape looks at me, however, I can't help noticing that it's not in anger, but I cannot read his expression. When he sees me trying to, he looks back at McGonagall.

"Please professor McGonagall," Hermione suddenly spoke, "They were looking for me."

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione finally got to her feet. "I went looking for the troll because I- I thought I could deal with it on my own- you know, because I've read all about them."

I start coughing; choking on the spit I was just swallowing. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher? Ron and Harry seemed to be thinking similarly as me.

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead. Harry jumped on it and stuck his wand up its nose. And then Taylor performed a curse I haven't heard before and it stopped moving. They didn't have time to get anyone. It was just about to finish me off when they came."

Snape was once more looking in my direction, studying me. I chose to pretend as if I didn't notice.

"Well- in that case…" said professor McGonagall, staring at the four of us, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Hermione hung her head low, not answering the question.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."

With that statement, Hermione left and Quirrell followed her out. Most probably to collapse in his own quarters.

McGonagall turned towards me, Harry and Ron. "I will say that you three are very lucky, not many first years could have taken on a full grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

We turn to hurry out of the room when Snape calls out "Black."

I stop walking and Harry and Ron look at me. "I'll be fine," I tell them. "Go back to the tower." Harry nods at me and I turn back around.

"Yes sir?" I ask, looking at the two professors still in the room.

"You're bleeding," he replies.

I bring my hand to where my head had hit the wall and sure enough, when I pull it away there's a decent amount of blood.

I stare at my hand and frown. "It's nothing, sir." I state, not looking up from my hand.

"If you're bleeding it's not nothing," McGonagall replies sharply.

I quickly look up at her and glare, but I hold my tongue about whether or not she cares about my safety. For a split second I think that I detect fear in her eyes but conclude that I had imagined it.

Just as I am about to respond, Dumbledore enters the bathroom, taking in the sight before him. "I passed Miss Granger, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley who informed me you would be down here."

He looks to Snape who is still beside the troll. "Ah, freezing jinx, nice choice Severus."

Snape sneers. "You should be complimenting Black, not me."

Dumbledore looks down at me slowly, his face unreadable. "Did Remus teach you magic before coming here? Did he ever let you use his wand at all?" He asks me.

"No sir," I state, looking at him in confusion. "He would tell me that that's what school is for. He never liked it when I did magic."

I watch as he seems to consider his next words. "You do wandless magic then?"

"Yes sir," I reply, getting annoyed at not knowing where this conversation was going. "Why?"

He ignores my question. "Would you please demonstrate?"

I raise my eyebrows in questions at him, but comply by quickly flicking my left wrist. Immediately, Snape's wand flies out of his hand into my own. I cannot suppress my smile at Snape's surprise when he finds himself without his wand.

He glares at me and I smirk at him, throwing the wand back to him. He mutters something under he breath that I am unable to catch. I look to McGonagall who is staring at Dumbledore, eyes wide.

"Remarkable," Dumbledore states, looking at me. "How long have you been able to do this?"

"I don't know," I state in annoyance. "I can never remember not being able to do it. Can you tell my why this is such a big deal?"

"Wandless magic," Snape states, bringing my attention back to him. "Is an ancient magic which is mostly forgotten. While it's been frequently heard of for it to happen accidentally, it is a rarity for a person to be able to harness it with precision, as you have seemed to. Especially a child. Those alive today who have even the slightest skill at wandless magic, have been attempting it for scores of years."

I look quickly to Dumbledore and McGonagall and then back to Snape. "Is that bad?"

With this question, Snape looks to Dumbledore not meeting my eyes.

"Some would consider it bad, yes." Dumbledore states, "It is not something that you should parade around and I suggest only telling those who you completely trust about it."

"Why?" I ask him.

"Wandless magic is contributed dark wizards, Taylor. Very dark wizards indeed."

I look up at McGonagall and glare at her. "So I'm assuming this doesn't help much in attempting to get you to not hate me, huh?"

I'm pleased when she is unable to produce a sentence, and Dumbledore looks to her for an explanation. Receiving none, he looks back to me.

"I'm sure you understand how bad this would look is more people found out, especially given your family history."

"Yes, sir."

He smiles at me and looks towards Severus. "I think you should take Miss Black to the hospital wing now."

He nods at Dumbledore and gestures me outside of the bathroom with a slight tilt of his head.

We walk in silence for the first few moments until Snape speaks. "You should not have been able to freeze that troll."

I look up at him. "Sir?"

"A wizard at your age should not have the ability to focus their magic at such a large target and accomplish anything. The jinx should have done nothing." He says the last part of this in slight anger. He stops walking suddenly and looks at me fiercely.

"You are harnessing dark energy."

His tone frightens me.

"I got that impression for the Headmaster, sir."

Snape glares at me and pushes me up against the corridor wall. "Do you not understand the severity of your actions, Black? The Dark Lord himself is unable to do what you have mastered at twelve! This is not to be taken lightly."

He lets go of me and sighs.

I slide down the wall until I am sitting. "I know, sir- I mean, I already knew. When I realized that Remus couldn't do wandless magic I went through some of the books that my grandmother had sent me and read up on it. Needless to say, I never told her about it."

Snape nods at me. I happen to come from a well known dark magic family.

I lower my eyes. "I'd rather not end up like most of my family."

Snape surprises me by sitting down against the wall next to me.

"Can I ask you something, sir?"

He says nothing but looks at me. I breathe in deep. "What- what made you become a Death Eater?"

The shock of my question is apparent on his face. "Are you considering-"

"Oh, no," I say with a laugh. "Do you seriously think if I wanted to become a Death Eater that I would be talking to you with the position you're in? I'm aware of you being a spy for Dumbledore."

"Lupin?" He asks.

I nod at him. "Remus knew that my grandmother gave me lists of people to associate with when I got to school. I was surprised to find a professor on that list and asked Remus about it."

"You're question," he starts. "Is a rather personal one that I do not wish to discuss at this time."

"I understand," I reply.

He studies me. "Why did you ask?"

I shrug at him. "I've met a fair few of dark wizards on the seldom occasions that Remus permitted me to visit my grandmother. You just- well, you're not like them, is all."

He smiles at me, a true smile, and I raise an eyebrow at him. "You are an interesting girl, Miss Black." He stands up and offers his hand to me. I take it and cringe as I am pulled up.

Snape looks at me in concern. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure," I state, holding my head. "I just feel a bit lighthea-"

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	9. Nothing Changes a Name

**Thank you to my most appreciated reviewers. Especially Moromu and Dark-N-Twisty who are seeming to be regulars.**

**This story is actually a couple of chapters from being completely finished, so I promise if you keep on my case, I'll upload as frequently as I remember. I was hoping for about 20 hits per chapter before an upload, but OCs are fairly difficult for people to get into, it seems.**

**Here's chapter 9 **

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I wake up to hushed voices around me. Keeping my eyes shut, I listen in.

"Don't you think she's a bit too young?" I hear Snape ask.

Dumbledore responds. "One is never too young to learn to protect herself."

There is a pause before Snape speaks again. "I'm not sure that I'll be able to teach her to mask her power."

"You'll have to at least give it attempt if she is to avoid delving into dark arts."

"Why me?" Snape asks.

"You're the most adept," Dumbledore responds. "And like it or not, you've gained her trust. It's up to you now to keep her light."

I can hear Snape sigh at this comment.

"It was bound to happen someday, Severus," Dumbledore starts. "You're not as evil as you like to pretend. Sooner or later a student was going to like you."

I hear footsteps exit the room and I open my eyes to see the walls of the hospital wing. I breathe in deeply.

"You're awake."

I jump at the statement, believing Snape to have left. He walks over to me from the doorway and takes the seat beside my bed.

I push myself up on the bed slowly attempting to sit and he places his hand up in a gesture to stop. "You lost a lot of blood."

I feel completely energized, but I lay back down, looking to the clock that is in front of my bed in confusion. "Sir?" I ask. "What time is it?"

"Noon."

I look quickly to him "Noon?"

"Pomfrey though it best to give you some Dreamless Sleep potion when you arrived."

"Oh," I respond.

The door to the wing opens and Snape and I both look to our right to see who it is.

I smile as I see Draco, who seems quite surprised to see Professor Snape beside me and he hesitates before making any movement towards me.

"Hi Draco," I say, causing Snape to look at me quickly.

Draco looks to Snape. "Taylor," he states, still not moving.

"You can come over, Draco. What's up?"

He still pauses slightly before walking over to me, but finally does, taking a seat at the end of my bed.

He shrugs at me. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. I heard about last night and thought that I would check on you."

"Thank you, Draco."

He nods at me, and then quickly looks over to Snape as he suddenly stands up. I look to Snape in confusion.

"Class," is all he states, and walks out of the room.

I watch the spot when he left and turn to Draco. I'm not quite sure as to what to say to him, as this is only the second time I've spoken to him since he's known that he was my half-brother.

"Do you want to play a game of chess?" He suddenly bursts out, pulling a set from his robes.

I smile at him, "Sure bro, just don't get upset when I kick your ass."

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Bring it."

As we make our way through our first game, I am surprised as to how easily conversation comes between the two of us. I notice how Draco tenses a bit when I ask about his father, but he is more than open about his mother- our mother. We're able to hold pleasant conversation and joking until we're in the middle of our third game and the door opens revealing Harry, Ron, and to my surprise, Hermione.

Draco immediately tenses and scowls. He looks to me apologetically, "I have a feeling I should be going now."

"Okay," I reply, ignoring my confused friends. "Thank you for stopping by."

"Of course," he states with a smile, closing up his chess board. "Feel better."

I watch as Draco quickly leaves, ignoring Harry, Ron and Hermione as he walks past them.

"Hi guys," I say, as if nothing just happened.

The three of them walk over to me slowly, and Ron explodes. "What the Hell were you just doing?

I glare at him. "Playing a game of chess with my cousin, Ron."

"Cousin?" He asks me, appalled.

I roll my eyes at him as Harry sits where Draco just was, looking at me not in anger, but in interest.

"All pure-blooded families are related, Weasley." I emphasize his last name to see if he understands, not surprisingly, he looks at me confused so I continue. "Which includes you, dolt."

Hermione looks to Ron. "You're a pure-blood?"

"Yeah," he states, turning to her. "But we're not dark wizards."

He added that last bit with a sneer and a glare towards me. "Grow up, Ronald. Not all wizards from dark families are dark, just as not all wizards form light families are light. You should know this."

He glares at me still. "Nothing," he starts. "Changes a name, _Black_."

Before I can stop myself, I lunge off the bed at him, my fist colliding with his face.

"Black!"

I look up from where Ron fell on the ground to McGonagall standing in the doorway, with Snape beside her.

Behind me I can feel both Harry and Hermione staring at me, waiting for a reaction.

My heart is pounding and my breathing is quick. To my horror I can feel the tears falling from my face. I can feel the anger within surging, and for the first time in my life, I am afraid of myself. Not caring about the repercussions I flee from the room, running right in between McGonagall and Snape. I run to the astronomy tower and stop to breathe. I close my eyes and breathe in deep. When I open my eyes again, I find my self standing on the roof of the castle.

I sit down and bury my face in my hands. "What the Hell is wrong with me?"

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**As this is another cliff hanger,**

**And a pretty short chapter,**

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**RingosGarden**


	10. A Misplaced Book

**And here's ten,**

**As promised.**

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As we entered November, the weather turned incredibly cold. The mountains around Hogwarts became icy grey and every morning the ground was covered in frost.

The first Quidditch game of the season is tomorrow, Saturday. Gryffindor has been training for weeks, and Oliver had let me sit in on a few sessions when I hadn't been in never ending detention for punching Ron and running. Needless to say, McGonagall was quite upset when I finally made it back into the castle and my detentions would be served until Christmas break, between her and Snape.

Ron and I are on very tense speaking terms. It's very formal, and I'm basically only dealing with him for Harry. Hermione and I have gotten quite a deal closer after the whole troll thing, which is both a blessing and a curse. She'll let me copy some of her work every so often, but also lecture me on how I should try more. She seems to think that I can do a lot better in classes if I just put effort into them. Isn't she intelligent?

The common room is especially loud tonight, with the game being against Slytherin tomorrow. I can tell that Harry is restless. I'm restless and I'm not even playing.

Needing something to do, I go up to my room to get the potions book that Remus had got me for my birthday. Searching through my trunk I can't find it.

I go back downstairs where Hermione, Harry and Ron are sitting by the fire talking. "Hey guys," I state gaining their attention. "Have you seen my potions book, it's not in my room."

"Did you leave it in detention?" George asks from behind me. I turn around to look at him. Fred is standing beside him, but makes a great effort to avoid looking at me. This doesn't go un-noticed by Hermione and I know I'll be drilled about it later. Maybe I will tell her that we kissed, it would be nice to tell someone.

"I didn't think about that. Maybe Snape found it."

"You're going to voluntarily seek out Snape?" Ron asks me.

"He's really not as bad as you make him out." Whoever is in ear range of our conversation scoffs at this statement and I roll my eyes.

"Whatever. I'll be back soon guys," I state to Hermione, Harry and Ron. "Bye George."

Walking out of the portrait hole I feel slightly bad about ignoring Fred, but he's not exactly going out of his way to speak to me either.

Passing the staff room I pause. There is the slight possibility that Snape is in there instead of down in the dungeons.

I knock on the door and there's no response. There's almost always someone in there so I knock once more, and still nothing. Slowly, I open the door and am shocked by what I see.

Snape and the caretaker Filch were inside of the room alone. Snape was holding his robes up to above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangles, and Filch was handling the bandages for it.

"Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"

Slowly, I attempt to shut the door quietly, but-

"BLACK!"

Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. I stood there terrified.

"I- Are you okay?"

"GET OUT! OUT!"

I stood there, practically frozen. When Snape's features began to soften and it looked as if he might say something else, I slammed the door quickly and took off for the Gryffindor common room.

"Was it there?" Harry asks as I sit down beside him. "What's wrong?"

In a low whisper, I quickly tell the three of them what I had seen.

"You know what this means?" Harry states. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him- he's after whatever it's guarding. And I'd bet me broomstick that he let that troll in to make a diversion!"

I don't say anything, but Hermione's eyes grow wide.

"No- he wouldn't," she says. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try to steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."

"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," Ron snaps. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"

Harry is staring at me. I'm looking at my hands but I can feel his eyes on me. "Are you okay, Tay?"

I get off the couch and nod at him. "I'm just tired; I'm going to bed now."

I make my way to the empty room quickly and finding my Charms book on my bed, I throw it as hard as I can against the wall.

"Taylor?"

I turn to face Hermione. "What do you want?"

"For you to talk to me," she replies. "I know that more than one thing is bothering you right now, and I want to help."

I sigh and sit on the end of my bed. "I can't tell you most things."

She sits down beside me and places her hand on my shoulder. "Just tell me whatever you want to, then."

I look at her and smile at her sincerity. "Okay."

"Start small?" She suggests.

I nod at her and begin to tell her about what happened with Fred.

"And now he won't speak to me or even look at me," I finish.

"I noticed something was wrong between you two," she states. "Maybe he just needs some time to figure out how he really feels about you."

"I guess," I say with a shrug. "It's really the least of my problems, so I'm not thinking about it too much. I'd just like to be friends with him though. I'm kind of low on those."

"Do you want to tell me what's really bothering you, Tay? You kind of ran out on us down there. Is it Professor Snape?"

"Yeah," I reply, breathing in deep. "It is."

"What about him?"

"He's the only adult here to treat me as a person and not a monster of some sort." I pause. "This whole dog thing- he wouldn't do anything against Dumbledore, but it seems as if he did. I guess I'm just upset because I trust him. He screamed at me tonight, and- I just don't want him to hate me."

Hermione studies me for a second. "You've gotten close with him?"

"Yeah," I say softly. "I thought he saw me different than his other students. That he might actually care about me. Maybe it was just hope."

"Don't give up on him then. Harry and Ron are quick to judge, but you see people for who they really are. He was probably just aggravated tonight."

"Maybe you're right, Hermione. I just hope I'm not wrong about him."

She stands up and hugs me tight. "Get some sleep Tay, you'll feel better in the morning."

Taking her advice, I close my curtains and got under the covers, for a very long night of sleep deprivation.

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	11. Dark Magic and A Broom

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**Here's 11.**

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I decide to skip breakfast in the morning, and highly debate skipping the Quidditch game as well, but decide that I should be cheering Harry on in his first game. And I'm still friends with George and Oliver at least.

I join Harry, Neville and Ron in the Gryffindor section at the Quidditch pitch at about 11:00.

"How'd you sleep?" Hermione quietly asks me.

"Not," I reply shortly.

She doesn't have time to say anything else before Madam Hooch, the Quidditch instructor and referee, blows her whistle.

Immediately, Gryffindor takes position of the Quaffle and I can hear Fred and George's friends Lee commentating the game above the noise of the crowds.

Gryffindor is the first to score and the cheers of the Gryffindor fans are almost matched by the cheers of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw who both wasn't Slytherin to lose as well. Hagrid joins us in the stands, I look away from the game quickly to say hi to him, and then bring my eyes back to watching Harry circle the pitch from above.

Suddenly, Harry dives downward, having seen the Snitch. The Slytherin captain blocks Harry and sends him off course, desperately holding on to his broom.

Attention is focused on the Slytherin side as the Snitch disappeared and Slytherin scored, but I was keeping an eye on Harry.

"Guys," I state. "Look at Harry's broom."

His broom was definitely behaving oddly. It was jerking him in different directions and heights. It seemed as if Harry had no control of it anymore.

"Only dark magic can interfere with a broom like that," Hagrid states, his voice shaking.

I can't help noticing Ron look to me quickly, but ignore it, my eyes on Harry.

Suddenly, Hermione grabs the binoculars that Hagrid had brought with him. "I knew it!" She states, handing them to Ron. "Look at Snape."

When Ron is done I instantly grabbed them from his to see what she was going on about. Looking at Snape, there is no doubt he was doing something. His eyes were glued on Harry and he was muttering, very possibly jinxing the broom Harry was on.

I bring the binoculars down slowly in disdain, just as Hermione runs from the stands in attempt to help Harry. From where I sit I see her run head first into Quirrell and then set fire to the bottom of Snape's robes.

I look up to the sky, and sure enough, Harry's brook was working properly. "Fuck," I mutter. Harry suddenly sped downward and stopped on the grass, putting his hands in front of his face. The school watched as he coughed out the Snitch, he must have swallowed it while his brook was misbehaving. Gryffindor had won 170 to 60. Having seen the end of the game, I don't stick around for celebrations. Without saying anything to Ron or Hagrid I run from the pitch up to the deserted common room.

I'm sitting on the couch staring into the fire when the common room begins to fill up once more.

"Taylor?"

I look towards the portrait hole to see Hermione walking towards me. "Hey," I say, standing up.

"Are you okay?" She asks me.

"Sure," I reply, as the portrait hole opens to reveal scattered members of Gryffindor and the Quidditch team. Oliver sees me and runs over to me, engulfing me in a hug and spinning me around.

"Didn't you watch?" He asks, excitedly, grinning.

I smile at him, "Of course I did. I just came back here when Harry caught the Snitch."

He continues grinning. "We only won one game last year, and to win the first game against Slytherin-"

I hug him once more. "You guys will be great this year."

As I pull away I can see Hermione looking at me. "Do you know Oliver?" I ask.

Oliver holds out his hand and introduces himself to her.

"Taylor," Hermione states when Oliver goes up stairs to change out of his Quidditch robes. "I came up here to tell you that me, Harry and Ron are going down to Hagrid's to talk about what happened at the game."

"I think I'll stay here," I state, taking a seat on the couch and looking back into the fire. "I don't really feel like talking about it."

She hugs me quickly and exits the common room, leaving me to fend for myself.

"Where's Harry?" George's voice asks from my right, making me jump.

He sits down beside me. "Hagrids," I reply. "Where's Fred?"

George smiles at this question. "Most likely avoiding you."

"Makes sense."

"What happened between you two?" He asks me.

"You mean he didn't tell you?"

George shakes his head. "We may be twins, but contrary to popular belief, we do not tell each other everything."

"We kissed," I state, shortly.

"So?" George asks, looking confused. "What's so bad about tha-Oh. You're his first kiss, aren't you?"

I don't reply and George starts laughing. "What a prat he can be. I'll talk to him tonight, okay?"

"You don't have to."

"Hey," George says. "You and I are friends right?"

I shrug and he turns my face to look at him. "We are, Tay. Don't worry about Fred, I'll talk to him."

"Thanks George."

"What are friends for?" He asks with a smirk.

I shake my head at him and realize how loud the common room has gotten. The celebrations over winning the first match of the season include a lot of food and music.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk, George. I'm not rally in the celebrating mood."

"Are you okay?" He asks me. "Do you want me to go with you?"

I stand up and shake my head. "No, I really just want to be alone right now. Enjoy the party."

He looks at me oddly but shrugs. "See you later then?"

"Sure, I have detention after dinner though." I reply and walk out of the common room.

I sigh as the noise from the party is muffled by the covered portrait hole. I turn left and begin walking the long way through the castle to the astronomy tower. Getting there, I sit on the floor with my back up against the stone wall. Reaching inside of my robe, I find the parchment and pen I had placed in there earlier and begin a note to Remus.

About 15 minutes in the tower is enough to get me cold, so ignoring what Snape told me about wandless magic, I conjure a small fire beside me and continue writing. I am deeply engrossed in what I am writing and do not hear the footsteps of someone approaching me until they are in the tower as well.

I look up to see Snape staring at me. I glare at him and look back down at my parchment.

"Miss Black."

I say nothing but continue to ignore him.

"When a professor addresses you, you are to respond, do I make myself clear, Black?"

I raise my eyes to meet his and see that here is more confusion than anger in them. "Whatever you say, sir."

He sits down beside me and I quickly flip my letter over so he cannot read any of it. "What are you doing here?" He asks me as his voice softens.

"Writing a letter," I reply. "Sir."

He sits there in silence for a minute or two, watching the fire beside me, and then turns to me. "Are you upset that I yelled at you?"

I don't replay, and seemingly he takes that as a yes. "A student had spilled a potion on me and I was in pain."

I extinguish the fire I had made with my hand and I stand up, not looking at Snape, but the doorway. "I may be a student, sir, but I am still a person." I walk to the doorway and pause before leaving. "I do not appreciate being lied to anymore than you do."

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	12. Holiday Plans, Presents and Propositions

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**I think today will be a 2 for 1 chapter deal.**

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Christmas is coming. One morning in mid-December we awake to see the grounds covered with several feet of snow. The lake is frozen solid and George and I are severely punished for bewitching a few snowballs to follow Quirrell around and bounce off the back of his turban. I'm almost positive that Snape's heart wasn't in it when he assigned us several detentions.

The school corridors have become icy and worse of all are Snape's classrooms down in the dungeons, where our breath rises in mist before us. We stay huddled to our hot cauldrons as close as possible.

"I do feel sorry," says Draco, one potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

I notice that he was looking at Harry as he said this. I knew for a fact that Harry didn't feel sorry though. He was happy to get away from his relatives, and Ron and his brothers were also staying for the holiday because their parents were visiting his older brother Charlie.

Leaving the dungeons after class, we find a large tree blocking the corridor ahead, and Hagrid behind it.

"Hi Hagrid, do you want any help?" Ron asks, sticking his head through the branches.

"Nah, I'm all right, thanks Ron."

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" Comes Draco's voice from behind us. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose- that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."

Ron dives at Draco just as Snape comes up the stairs.

"WEASLEY!"

Ron les go of Draco's robes and sends a glare towards me. My small attempt of warning Draco to move out of the way did not go unseen.

"He was provoked, Professor Snape," says Hagrid. "Malfoy was insultin' his family.

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," says Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you. Black, my office, after lunch."

Draco, Crabbe and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.

"I'll get him," Ron says, grinding his teeth at Draco's back, "one of these days, I'll get him-"

"I hate them both," Harry states. "Malfoy and Snape. Speaking of Snape," he says turning to me. "What does he want with you?"

"No clue," I reply with a small frown. I've chosen to still be civil with Snape, not wishing to assume anything with him, even thought the evidence against him seems to be outstanding. He's left Filch in charge of me and George's detentions so I haven't seem much of him outside of class.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asks us.

"Just one," Hermione replies. "And that reminds me- Harry, Ron, Tay, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Oh yeah, you're right," Ron says.

"The library? Hagrid asks, following us out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"Oh, we're not doing work," Harry replies, brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicholas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."

"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here- I've told yeh- drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."

"We just want to know who Nicholas Flamel is, that's all," Hermione says.

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry adds. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere- just give us a hint- I know I've read his name somewhere."

"I'm sayin' nothing'," Hagrid says flatly.

"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," Ron says, and we leave a disgruntled Hagrid and hurry off for the library.

We've been looking through library books trying to figure out who Nicholas Flamel is ever since Hagrid accidentally let it be known to Harry, Ron and Hermione that he's involved in whatever the three headed dog (named Fluffy) is guarding. However, we've found nothing.

We split up in the library and searched through different books randomly picked off the shelves. After a half hour of finding absolutely nothing on Flamel, I exit the library and wait in the hallway for Harry, Hermione and Ron. They join me in about five minute's time and we make our way down to lunch.

"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" Hermione asks Harry and Ron. "And send me an owl if you find anything."

We sit down to lunch and begin filling our plates. "You leaving tonight?" Hermione asks me.

"Yeah, I'm flooing from Dumbledore's office before dinner. You going by train?"

Hermione nods at me. "My parents are muggles and we're not hooked up to the floo network."

I finish my lunch and stand up. "Well, off to see Snape. See you three later…hopefully."

Harry, Ron and Hermione say goodbye to me as I make my way out of the Great Hall and slowly down to the cold dungeons. I peek my head through the classroom door, and not seeing Snape I make my way to his office. I knock on his door and wait for a response.

"Enter."

I slowly open the door and see Snape behind his desk, hundreds of glass bottles surrounding him on the shelves throughout his office. "Sit," he says, motioning to the chair in front of his desk.

"The Headmaster wishes me to teach you to control your anger and energy."

I look up at him. "How so, sir?"

"There are several mind clearing exercises you can learn to do. Are you familiar at all with Occlumency?" He asks.

"Yes sir," I reply. "But I thought that was on the line of thought reading."

He nods at me. "You're right, but it's also clearing your mind so others cannot read it. It is a way to control your emotions."

"Excuse me sir, but why does the Headmaster believe that I need this?"

"Miss Black, I am not one to question the Headmasters orders. I am as much his subject as you are. We will begin after holiday."

"Yes sir." I stand up to leave and stop at the door, remembering the book in my pocket.

"Sir?"

"What is it?"

I take a deep breathe before reaching into my pocket and taking out a book I had shrunk earlier today. "I had Remus mail me a book I've had in my possession for a decent amount of time that I wish for you to have."

I wave my hand over the book and it regains its natural size. Snape is looking at me in confusion as I hand him the last known remaining copy of "Ancient Potions" which had been handed down in my family, from my grandmother to me.

I smile as he realizes what it is. "I- I can't possibly take this from you."

"Sure you can, Professor," I reply. "I've had that book for about 5 years now and I have every potion memorized. A book of that value would do much better in the hands of a master."

He opens up the cover that reveals past owners of the book and closes it once more, running his hand over the name. "Thank you."

"Merry Christmas and happy birthday, Professor."

He smiles at me. Severus Snape actually smiles at me. "Merry Christmas- Taylor."

I return the smile and leave his office, making my way back up to the Gryffindor tower to pack up the rest of my belongings. Finishing what was left in my room to pack; I shrink my footlocker to fit in my pocket and I go down to the common room and find Fred sitting by himself on the couch, staring into the fire.

"Up for a game of chess?" I ask, sitting down next to him.

He looks surprised, but agrees to a game, so I run back upstairs to get it and we set up on the floor in front of the fire.

After playing the first minute or so in silence, I break it. "So how have you been lately?" I ask him.

Fred doesn't look up from the board but pauses before making his next move. "I've been pretty good. You?"

"Decent," I reply, waiting for him to look at me. When he does I continue. "Can we still be friends, Fred?"

He looks back down at his hands. "Of course…I'm sorry, Tay."

I shake my head. "Don't be. I'm just as much at fault as you are, I just don't like this not speaking thing."

He looks back up at me and smiles. "Neither do I."

"Settled then? No more awkwardness? Friends?" I ask.

"Settled. No more awkwardness. Friends."

We continue playing, making conversation the entire time. About 15 minutes into the game Oliver comes by.

"Can I play winner?"

I smile up at him as he sits on the couch to my right. "Sure," I reply. "But I have to go meet someone after, and then I'm off."

"Hey," Fred states in annoyance. "Who says you're going to win?"

I look back down to the board. "Me," I reply, and sending my rook, his king lays down his sword. "Check mate."

"Prat." He mutters, standing up. "Say bye to me after the game?"

"Sure," I answer as Oliver sits across form me.

"Ready to lose?" He asks.

I shake my head at him. "Never."

He smiles at me and we begin playing. "You're going home then?"

"Yeah," I reply, watching the board. "You?"

"Yeah, Christmas is a big deal to my family. My two brothers and I usually start a huge snow ball fight. What are your plans?"

I shrug at him. "My godfather and I usually just make a day of watching muggle movies."

"You live with your godfather?" He asks me, looking up from the game.

I meet his eyes. "Yeah, well you know about my father and I don't really know my mother."

"I'm sorry," he states. "I didn't know."

"Don't worry about it. I might not have a conventional family, but my godfather and I are close. He's all I really need- check." 

He frowns down at the board and moves his king. "Would you be interested in hanging out at all over break?"

I look at him in confusion for a moment. I've never actually been invited over someone's house before.

He seems to have taken my look poorly and immediate tried to fix what he said. "I mean- I'm not insinuating anything, I just- it gets a bit boring with my brothers, and I though- maybe you'd-"

"Shut up," I state, rolling my eyes. "Sure Oliver, I'd like that."

"Really?" He asks.

"I said it, didn't I?"

He smiles at me. "I suppose you did."

"Checkmate." I state, watching as his king admits defeat. I am about to just wave my hand over the board to out it away, but think quickly and shrink it with my wand, placing it in my pocket.

Oliver stands up and offers his hand to me, and pulls me up. "Can I walk you to Dumbledore's office?"

I shake my head at him. "I need to make a stop first, but thank you."

"No problem," he replies, pulling me into a hug. "So I'll send you an owl then?"

I pull away from him. "Sounds good. Merry Christmas, Oliver."

"Merry Christmas, Tay."

I walk away from him and wish Fred and George, who were sitting at a small table, a merry Christmas as well. I find Harry, Ron and Hermione in the opposite end of the common room and say goodbye, and then make my way to the library to find Draco.

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**Reviews are much appreciated.**


	13. A Party Date

**And here's 13**

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I find him sitting way off in a corner, looking out of the window. "Hey there," I state, causing him to jump. I sit down across from him and he smiles.

"Hi Tay, thanks for meeting me."

"No problem, Drac. What's up?"

He breathes in deeply, and looks down at his hands on the table. "My father is having a party on Christmas Eve and has informed me that I need to bring a date or I will make him look bad. I was hoping that maybe you would come and pretend to be my date. He'd like that you're a Black."

I laugh and he glares at me. "Sorry…I wasn't laughing at you, just thinking of having a date with my brother. Sure, I'll go for you, as long as you think it's safe."

"It's safe," Draco states. "It will be his friends along with ministry workers."

I roll my eyes. "I meant more along the lines of it being safe as to our relation."

"Oh, yeah." I watch as Draco contemplates this. "It should be. I mean, I look like my father and you look like yours."

"What about your mother?" I ask.

Now he laughs. "You mean our mother? She'll be fine. She usually doesn't spend too much time with father's friends, and she seemed interested in meeting you when she told me about you."

"Okay then," I state. "I'll be there."

I look out the window and notice that it's starting to get dark. "I should be going. I told my godfather that I'd be there before dark, he's probably waiting for me."

I stand up and Draco follows suit. "I'll walk with you for a bit."

"Thanks," I state, and we walk out of the library. "Stopped worrying about what people think of us talking?"

He shrugs at me. "It really doesn't matter. I mean, the Slytherins respect you for your family's notoriety, so if I'm seen with you they'll think it's because you're a pureblood. I'm surprised that you don't care about being seen with me."

"I could care less about what people think." I state, as we make it to the stone gargoyle that leads to Dumbledore's office. "Do you happen to know the password?" I ask Draco.

He shakes his head at me.

"Lemon drops."

We both turn around quickly to see McGonagall, who is looking back and forth between Draco and I oddly, as the stone gargoyle moves aside to reveal a staircase.

"Thank you, professor."

She nods and I turn to Draco. "I'll see you Christmas Eve then?"

"Definitely," he replies, and I hug him goodbye. I watch as he walks away and takes the corridor leading to the dungeons.

"You know, Miss Black," McGonagall states from behind me, as I start walking up the stairs. "Associating with Malfoy is not a good way to clear your name."

I stop outside Dumbledore's closed door and turn to her, smirking. "You said yourself, professor. Blood is thicker than water."

"That is not how I meant it."

"Then how did you? You never even gave me a chance to be myself. You read the name Black and immediately took a dislike to me, just because you had liked my father and he disappointed you. Well you're not alone, professor. He disappointed many people."

The door opens behind me and I turn to see Dumbledore.

"Ah, Taylor. I though I heard you."

"Yes sir," I state.

"And Minerva, what brings you here?"

McGonagall looks in my direction for a moment more and then responds to Dumbledore's question. "I was just letting Miss Black in," she replies and heads back down the stairs.

Dumbledore smiles at me. "It seems as if she might have seen the error of her ways."

I shrug, not really caring if McGonagall likes me or not.

"You ready then?"

"As ever," I state and he leads me to the fire in his office. He hands me a bad of floo powder and I take a handful.

"Merry Christmas, Miss Black."

"Merry Christmas, sir," I reply and throw the handful of powder into the fire. "The den!" I state, and walk into the green flames, instantly being pulled through the network of fireplaces until I am shot out into my own living room, landing face first on the rug.

"Oomph."

"Graceful as ever," I hear a woman's voice state from behind me.

I push myself up and look towards the voice. "Tonks!" I exclaim, and run over to her, engulfing her in a hug.

"Hi honey."

I pull back and look around. "Where's dad?"

"Doing a bit of last minute shopping," she replies. "He asked me to come over in case you were back before him."

I shake my head. "And he calls me lazy."

Tonks laughs. "So how's school going?"

We sit down on the couch and I replay everything that's happened throughout the year, leaving out portions including our search for Nicholas Flamel and spending time with Draco. I do tell her about kissing Fred after she asks relentless questions about boys. I assure her that nothing will come of it, but she doesn't seem to listen much. I just start talking about Snape when Remus comes through the fire, landing on his feet.

"Bloody fires," He states, brushing the soot from his shirt, before looking up. "Oh," he says seeing me beside Tonks. "I was hoping that I'd be here when you got back," He says with a frown.

I jump up from the couch and hug him tight. "I've missed you, Moony."

"I've missed you too, Tay." We continue hugging for several moments until he pulls away. "You get here all right?"

"Flat on her face, is more like it." Tonks states with a laugh.

"Shut it." I state, glaring at her, but Remus smiles. "Glad to see nothing's changed."

"Anything exciting happen since your last letter?" He asks me.

I shrug, sitting down on the couch once more beside Tonks. "I might have put McGonagall in her place and not received a detention."

Remus frowns and sits in the armchair beside our couch. "How so?"

"I just basically told her that I was sick of her being rude to me over my last name."

Remus sighs. "You didn't tell me that she was treating you different."

"It doesn't matter," I reply.

"Of course it does. What about your other teachers?"

"Flitwick refuses to acknowledge my presence."

"How about Snape?" Remus asks, concerned.

"Actually," I state. "Of my competent professors, he and Sprout are the only ones who haven't judged me since seeing my work in their classes."

"Well that's good," Remus replies. "It was he that I was worried about."

"Yeah well, he's not exactly a prince to Harry."

Remus shakes his head and looks to Tonks. "You staying for dinner?"

She shakes her head and stands up. "I actually need to be going. I have an interview with Alastor Moody."

Remus smiles. "Good luck."

"Thanks," she replies, patting me on the head. "I'll see you guys on Christmas."

I stare at the spot that she disappears from, and turn to Remus. "I've been invited to a party on Christmas Eve, do you mind if I go?"

"Of course not. Anyone I might know?"

I shake my head. "Just a friend from school."

He smiles at me. "I'm glad to hear that you've made friends. I was worried about you, Tay."

"I can be social," I state, in defense.

He rolls his eyes at me.

We watch television for a few hours, one of the muggle inventions that Remus has come to appreciate, until I can no longer hide my yawns.

"Bed," Remus states, pointing towards my room.

"Fine," I reply, getting up form the couch. I hug Remus once more and for the first time since term started, sleep a full night's sleep.

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**I'm solely posting chapters based on the numbers of hits and reviews I get now.**

**This story is now 100 completed and I've started working on the sequel**

**(Skipping to book 3)**

**So review,**

**And I'll keep posing.**


	14. Introducing Alastor Moody

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews,**

**I'm glad you all are so persistent that I post frequently. **

**This is the second update in 2 days?**

**On Taylor being like her father in relationships,**

**Any pairing will be left to the sequel.**

**I decided that as Taylor is only 12,**

**I'd leave any real relationship until she's at least 14.**

**So for now it's friendships.**

**Chapter 14.**

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Holding the formal invitation that Draco sent me, I look at myself in the floor length mirror on the back of my bedroom door.

I decided to go with an emerald green of dress robes figuring the more Slytherin, the better. I open my door and walk out into the living room, glancing at the clock. Draco expects me at exactly 6:00 and I'd rather not be late. Remus is at his own party, so I don't have to worry about him overhearing where I am flooing to.

As the clock strikes six, I grab a handful of Floo powder and take a deep breath before throwing it into the fire. "Malfoy Manor!" I state firmly, and step into the growing green flames.

Miraculously, when the network spits me out, I land safely on my feet. My expression must have been one of great surprise because I hear laughing from my right.

I turn to see Draco getting up from a chair and smile as he pulls me into a hug. "I take it you don't Floo often?"

I break the embrace and frown. "No, often enough. I just usually don't end up standing."

He laughs once more, but immediately stops as a door on the left opens to reveal Narcissa Malfoy, my mother.

"Ah," she states, looking me over. "This must be Miss Black."

I stand there quiet an unmoving until Draco elbows me in the side.

"Yes Ma'am," I finally reply.

She walks over to us. "You look just like your father," she states, touching my hair, which I had left down. "Except for your green eyes while your father has brown. You look more like Regulus than anyone."

I don't reply and she looks towards Draco. "Why don't you two go upstairs until your father calls you down in about a half hour?"

"Okay," he replies, and gestures for me to follow him up a staircase. I pause, taking one more look at the woman who is my mother, and follow Draco.

Getting to his room, he leads me inside, closing the door and sits on a couch to the left. I follow and sit beside him.

"Are you okay?" he asks in concern.

I smile at him. "Yeah," I reply. "It's just a little weird, you know."

"I can't really imagine."

I shrug and look to the table in front of us where a chess board sits. "What do you say?" I ask, getting up to the other side of the board. "Care for a little redemption?"

He shakes his head at me. "You're on."

In about 40 minute's time, a small House Elf appears in the room. The Elf, named Doby, tells us that Draco's father would like us downstairs now.

The elf disappears and Draco turns towards me. "Remember to call him Master Malfoy unless he tells you to call him Lucius. Everyone else call by their first name, including Snape if he shows."

"Okay," I state. I've been through this before, having been to a few similar parties held by my grandmother when she was still alive.

He leads me downstairs and to a large oak door. "You ready?" He asks, taking my arm in his.

"Ready," I reply.

We walk into what seems to be a large ball room filled with numerous people mostly dressed in black. We immediately find Draco's father in the front of the room, speaking with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. When the Minister leaves, Draco and I approach him.

"Father," Draco states void of emotion. "This is Taylor Black."

"Master Malfoy," I say, with a small bow.

He smiles at me. "Lucius, please."

I nod, but say nothing more, allowing him to speak more.

"You're the remaining Black line then?" He asks.

"Yes sir." I reply.

"Draco here tells me that you are in Gryffindor," he sneers.

"Not by choice, sir."

He nods at me. "At least you're sure to where your loyalties lie."

I don't reply and he takes my hand, placing a kiss upon it. "It was a pleasure to have met you, Taylor."

Draco leads me away. "You play well," he whispers in my ear.

"It's nothing that I'm not used to." I reply.

We walk around the room to say a few scattered greetings and introductions and choose to sit a t a small table in the far corner of the room.

Draco is pointing out specific men and telling me who they are as Snape walks over and sits down across the table from us.

"Severus," Draco states with a nod.

I remain quiet, choosing instead to try and read his facial expression at me being here with Draco.

Draco stands up and I look to him for an explanation. "Would you like a drink?"

"Sure," I reply and watch as he walks away, leaving me alone with Snape.

Draco is barely out of earshot when Snape speaks up.

"What are you doing here?" He asks quickly in a low whisper.

"Enjoying the festivities, Severus?" I ask. As his eyes narrow, I roll mine. "Draco needed a date that would please his father, so I complied."

"This wasn't wise, Black."

"No worries," I reply. "I play the well-behaved pureblood well."

"That is not all you have to worry about. The Dark Lord may no longer be in power, but this room is packed with his followers."

"I am well aware," I state as Draco rejoins us.

Snape excuses himself from the table and joins a group of men across the room.

The next few hours flew by and I found myself having a great deal of fun. On my way to the bathroom towards the end of the night I ran into my mother and the two of us had a very pleasant conversation dealing with my upbringing.

Getting late in the night, Draco and I leave the ballroom and walk to the living room where I had entered through Floo. We sit down on the couch and he puts his arm around me, pulling me close.

"Thank you for coming, Tay."

"No problem, Draco."

We sit there talking until Draco's father walks in.

"Ah, I was wondering where you two went off to."

Neither one of us makes a reply and he sits in an armchair to our right. He watches us for a moment before speaking.

"Aren't you two a bit young to be dating?"

Draco turns to him. "We're not dating. We're friends, father."

"Sure you are," he states, not believing Draco. "It's getting late, son. Taylor should be getting home."

"He's right," I say, pushing myself up from Draco. "My godfather is probably waiting for me."

Draco stands up and holds out his hand to pull me up. I take his and smile. "Thank you, Draco."

I pull out a small gift from my pocket and hand it to him. "I was going to send this tomorrow morning, but I might as well give it to you now."

He smiles and takes a shrunken gift from his robes. "Ditto," he states.

I place the gift inside my pocket, and hug Draco tight. "Have a great Christmas, Drac."

"You too, Tay. Goodnight."

I turn to Lucius. "Thank you sir for having me over."

"The pleasure was all mine, Miss Black."

I walk over to the fireplace and grab a handful of Floor powder. I take one more glance at Draco. "Will you tell your mother goodbye for me?" I ask. When he nods I throw the powder into the fire. "The Den," I state, and step into the bright green flames.

I land soundly on my feet in our living room and notice that Remus has company over. Select members of the Order of the Phoenix, the light equivalent of the Death Eaters are scattered about the house. I look around to see McGonagall, Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, Tonks, and a few of the ministry workers whom I don't know.

I notice the occupant of the couch in front of me and smirk. "What are you doing here?"

Snape raises an eyebrow at me. "Surprised to see me?"

I shrug and sit down beside him. "I'm more surprised to see anyone here. What's the reason?"

"Dumbledore requires us to meet once a year, even though nothing has happened in years. This is the aftermath of that, we needed a quiet environment and Lupin offered."

"So that's where you skipped out to," I state.

He doesn't reply and I see Remus walking towards me. I can't help but notice Snape's glare towards him. "How long have you been back?" he asks me.

"Not long," I reply. "I was just speaking with Professor Snape."

"Did you have a good time?"

"I did. It was very nice," I state.

"I'm glad to hear that. We're just finishing up here."

I nod at him as Moody walks over to us. He's an odd man with a chunk missing from his nose and a rolling magical eye. "Black," he states, acknowledging that I was there. Glancing at my robes, he states, "I thought you were sorted into Gryffindor."

"Being in Gryffindor doesn't mean that I can't wear green, sir."

I notice that his magical eye has been watching Snape. "You just might give off the wrong impression," he states and I feel Snape tense beside me.

I glare at him and I can see Remus frown out of the corner of my eye. "What are you insinuating?"

"I'm insinuating that you might want to stay clear the path of your ancestors."

I move quickly to stand up but Snape holds me back, his hands firmly on my shoulders.

"Alastor," I hear Dumbledore's voice state as he comes walking towards us. "It is Christmas Eve. Tonight is a time for festivities, not insults. Especially to a twelve year old girl raised by an Order member, don't you agree?"

Moody mumbles something about my father once being an order member as well and walks away.

"I'm sure that you can let go of Miss Black now, Severus."

Snape removes his hands and I turn to him, noticing that his eyes have net yet left Moody, who is now speaking with a man I have never seen before.

"I trust you had a pleasant time tonight?" Dumbledore asks me with a smile.

"Yes sir," I state, taking my eyes off of Snape. "Yourself?"

"Why yes," he responds. "Most wonderful, thank you for asking."

I nod at him and McGonagall walks over, looking pointedly at Dumbledore and Snape. "We should be getting back to the castle now."

"Right you are Minerva, right you are." Dumbledore states. "Severus?"

Snape nods at Dumbledore and stands.

"It will be quicker if we floo," McGonagall states and turns to say goodbye to the other occupants of the house.

With scattered goodbyes in response, she walks over to the fire and Floos to Hogwarts. I watch as Dumbledore follows suite and when Snape walks up to the fire I speak out.

"Professor," I state.

He turns to me in confusion.

"Merry Christmas, sir." I say with a smile.

For a split second he smiles back. "Merry Christmas, Taylor." In a quick burst of green flames, he disappears.

Within moments the other Order members apparate out of the house leaving just me, Remus and Tonks.

Tonks stares at me. "Did Severus Snape just smile at you and wish you a merry Christmas?"

I shrug at her, standing up. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't," she says with a smirk. "Of all the teachers you could choose to get close to, you had to pick one just as sarcastic as you."

I hug both Remus and Tonks before telling them that I'm going to bed. "I'll see you _both_ in the morning, right?" I ask, sending a wink towards Tonks, who much to my pleasure, turns red.

Remus chooses to glare at me. "You know you will, goodnight Taylor."

"Goodnight guys."

I walk into my room and close the door behind me with a grin. Tonks and Remus have liked each other for ages and really need to admit it to themselves, seeing as it's obvious to everyone else who sees them together. I shake my head and wave my hand, changing into pajamas. I lay in my bed, pull the covers up, and am instantly asleep.

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**Loyal reviewers,**

**You know what to do.**

**Also,**

**For those who have read and liked my smutty one shots,**

**There's a poll on my profile for the pairing of the next one.**

**If "other" please state preference in a review. **


	15. A Day With The Wood Brothers

**Here's the deal.**

**After this chapter (and the next) there are 9 chapters left to this story for me to post.**

**I have Spring break starting after classes on the 14****th****, and no internet over break.**

**So that's 5 days.**

**My proposition is:**

**If you all continue to review,**

**I'll post AT LEAST one chapter a day until then,**

**Probably two.**

**Including today so I can get on with the sequel.**

**Deal?**

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Waking up to harsh wind against my window I turn to my night stand clock and see that it's 9:30. Sitting up, I notice the pile of presents at the foot of my bed and smile. I jump out of my bed and run to Remus' room where he is still fast asleep. Creeping up beside him I lean in slowly. Just as I am about to yell "boo," his arm swings around grabbing me.

After the initial shock wares off I glare at him. "Well you're no fun at all, stupid werewolf hearing powers."

He laughs and sits up. "I was already awake, Tay. I thought that I would get some extra rest before you bounded in here."

I sit down on his bed beside him and gesture to his gifts. "Open your presents."

Remus shakes his head at me. "You first."

"Nope," I reply. "It was me first last year."

"I didn't think that you would remember," he states, gesturing for me to pick him up a present.

I hand him my own and he smiles as he unwraps it. Giving Remus a book is always a good gift decision. He looks over the cover of _Uncommon Dark Creatures_ and thanks me. "I wasn't aware this was out yet."

"I know," I state with a grin.

He shakes his head at me and opens the rest of his presents given to him by different Order members and friends that he had made while at Hogwarts. I can't help but suppress a grin when he opens a new quill set from Tonks. "Not a word," he states, standing up. I am pleased to see a tint of blush rise to his cheeks. "Your turn."

I follow him into my room and sit down beside him on the edge of my bed. The first gift Remus hands me is from him. I unwrap it to find a set of Defense books. "Thanks Remy," I say and he ruffles my hair.

"You know," he states. "In case you meet anymore trolls."

I shake my head at him and he places another gift in my hands. Seeing that it's from Fred and George I open it slowly and carefully to reveal a box of pranks from the Hogsmeade joke shop, Zonkos. The next gift is from Tonks, a beautiful embossed journal. From Harry and Hermione both I received an assortment of candies. Oliver game me his own copy of _Quidditch Through The Ages_ with a note wishing me a Merry Christmas on the inside of the front cover. I am surprised to find that Snape gave me a potions book, the next one in the set that Remus had gotten me one from for my birthday.

"That's interesting," Remus states with a smile. "Making friends with Severus?"

I frown, looking over the book for an explanation of some sort. "It was certainly unexpected."

"You've still got one more," Remus says, handing me the last box. "Who is it from?"

I turn the box over, looking for a name, and see none. "No clue," I state as I open it. Inside the box I find a beautiful light blue set of dress robes. Pulling them out of the box a piece of parchment falls out reading, _Sirius._

I drop the note and look to Remus whose eyes are wide.

"I thought you told him you didn't want to talk to him at all?" Remus asks me.

"I did," I reply, glaring at the box. "I sent him back a note that said 'leave me alone' and that was it."

"And you said that Dumbledore doesn't seem worried?"

I shake my head. "Not in the least. He almost suggested me write back to him, saying that he might want some 'correspondence.'"

"Come on," Remus states, standing up. "How about some breakfast?"

"That's it?" I ask him confused.

He stops outside my doorway and turns to me. "He's locked away in Azkaban, Tay. I might not approve of you having communication with him, but seeing as he _is_ your father, it's entirely up to you."

I shake my head. "No Remy. Since five years ago when you took me away from that orphanage, you've been my father."

He smiles sadly at me and walks to the kitchen, beginning to prepare breakfast.

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Spending most of my time reading while Remus was at work, I was more than excited when Oliver owled me a week into break asking if I wanted to spend the day at his house the next day.

When Remus arrived home I quickly propositioned him with the idea.

"A boy?" he asks with a frown.

I roll my eyes at him. "He's a _friend_ of mine, Moony. You do want me to have friends, right?"

He sighs. "Will his parents be around?"

I hand him the note stating that him mother and one of his brothers will be home as well and Remus shrugs. "I suppose it's alright."

I hug him and run off to my room to write a response to Oliver saying that I'll see him at 11:30.

Remus wakes me up the next morning at quarter past nine before he heads off to work and tells me to eat something before leaving.

I get up and shower, deciding to dress in muggle clothes, not sure how Oliver's family is. Making myself some pancakes, I eat quickly and clean my mess. When done I glance at the clock reading quarter of eleven and sigh, deciding to sit down and watch some television.

At 11:25, I get up and go to my room to find Oliver's note so I know where to Floo to. When the clock strikes 11:30 I grab a handful of powder and throw it into the fire. Stating, '8 Pleasant Road' I step into the flames and find my self shot out into a parlor. I nearly trip on a rug when a sturdy hand holds onto my shoulder.

I turn around when I regain my balance to see a younger looking version of Oliver. The boy smiles at me, "You must be Taylor," he states, holding out his hand. "I'm Topher."

I shake his hand and smile. "Nice to meet you," I state as Oliver comes around the corner.

"I see you've met Toph," he states. "He's in third year, Ravenclaw. My older brother Davey is back at his flat."

I smile at Oliver and he pulls me into a hug. "Enjoy your Christmas?" he asks when he pulls away.

"Yeah, it was pretty good," I answer. "How was yours?"

"It was okay."

"Okay?" an older voice sounds from behind us. "It was great."

Turning around I see an older man dressed in a muggle business suit.

Reading my mind, Oliver states, "Tay, this is my father. The muggle of the family."

I smile as he holds his hand out. "I prefer Dave." I shake his hand in return and he says goodbye to the room, heading out for work.

"So what are you two up to today?" Toph asks, sitting down in a chair.

Oliver shrugs. "Mom wanted to meet Tay when she arrived, but after that anything, you're welcome to join."

He nods and Oliver leads me into his kitchen where a witch is sitting behind the table, reading the paper.

"Mom, this is Tay," he states, gaining his mother's attention. "Tay, this is my mother, Francine." The woman places her paper down and smiles at me.

"Oli tells me you're in first year," she states. "You must know my nephew, Neville."

"Yeah," I reply. "We're friends." Pausing I look to Oliver and back to her. "You're a Longbottom?" I ask.

She nods. "Neville's father is my brother."

I gulp and look down at the floor. "I'm sorry," I state.

She stands up and places a hand on my shoulder. "My brother was a brave man, he brought it on himself. There's nothing you had to do with it."

"I can at least apologize for my family then."

She looks at me in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

I look to Oliver and see that he has a frown on his face. I try looking apologetic to him and then turn back to his mother. "I suppose I should formally introduce my self," I state pausing. "My name's Taylor Black."

Oliver's mother retracts her hand from my shoulder and studies me. "So that would make Lestrange-"

"My cousin," I reply, not being able to get into how she is actually my aunt as well, being the sister of my mother. "Although I have never had any contact with her."

She nods her head and gives me a forced smile. "Well I don't blame you there, dear." She turns back to Oliver. "Oli, why don't you take Toph and find something to do?"

"Okay mum," he states and leads me back into the parlor.

When the door closes behind us I turn to him. "You didn't tell me," I state.

I watch as he walks to the couch and sits down across from his brother. "I didn't think it was important."

I glare at him as Toph turns to me. "Not important?" I ask. "My cousin is the reason that your aunt and uncle are lying in St. Mungos and you didn't think it was important?"

"Listen," he says, standing up to meet me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "I know that you want nothing to do with your ancestry. You're not like them, so no, I didn't find it important."

"I'm sorry," I reply. "It was just a bit of a shock."

He smiles and leads me further into the parlor. "What do you say to some ice skating?" he asks.

"Sure," I reply and Toph stands up to join us.

"I probably have an old pair that you can use," he says to me, walking over to a closet off to the side. "And a snow suit as well." He pulls out his and Oliver's pair and then searches towards the back and takes out another pair, handing them to me. "These should work, they're old hockey skates." He pulls out three pairs of snow pants as well, handing me the smallest pair.

"Thanks," I state as the three of us pull on our snow pants. "Hockey blades are easier."

"You know what hockey is?" Toph asks me as we head out the door, stepping into the cold January air.

"Yeah," I reply. "I spent a decent amount of time at a Muggle orphanage when I was young."

Oliver looks at me in surprise. "I though you lived with your godfather?"

I do," I state, following Toph down a path through the woods. "I've lived with him for the past five years. I was in an orphanage from when my father was arrested up until then."

He doesn't reply and the woods suddenly opens up into a clearing, revealing a large frozen pond. "Wow," I state and Toph smiles at me.

"Pretty, isn't it?" he asks, bending down to tie on his skates.

I sit down beside him and take off my shoes, putting my skates on. "Beautiful," I reply.

Toph finishes lacing his skates and helps me to my feet when I finish mine. Oliver looks up to me, starting to lace his second skate. "You ever skate before?"

"A few times," I state with a smile.

"Good," Toph states, skating out onto the ice and overturning two milk crates. He skates back over and grabs a hockey stick from the ground throwing it to me. Catching it, I watch as he throws a stick to Oliver who has finished tying his skates.

"So," Toph states, picking up a puck. "How about to 21, what are the teams?"

"Well," Oliver says with a grin. "Whoever faces me obviously has a handicap."

I roll my eyes at him as Toph starts to laugh.

"Then I guess you won't mind Toph and I being against you then," I state, skating backwards onto the ice. "After all, it's only fair."

"You're on," he replies smirking.

As soon as we started skating, it was obvious that Oliver hadn't made the correct decision. Toph was a decent skater and I had been skating since I was about three. Within ten minutes Toph and I easily won.

"Hmph," Oliver grumbles. "I don't think that was very fair"

"What's wrong _Oli_?" I ask, making him blush at the use of his family nickname.

When he gets over blushing, he glares at me. "You didn't let on that you were good."

Toph starts laughing at this, "stop being a sore loser now and wait until Ravenclaw kicks your ass in the Quidditch match."

"You play?" I ask.

"Yeah," he replies. "Keeper."

"Ooh," I state with a smile. "I can't wait. Nothing like a little brotherly competition."

"You're supposed to be rooting for Gryffindor, not 'brotherly competition,'" Oliver states.

"Touchy," I reply with a smirk.

The day went by incredible quickly and before I knew it, it was dark and time for me to get back home.

Standing in front of the fire, I turn to Toph. "It was nice meeting you," I state, holding my hand out for him to shake.

He smiles and pulls me into a hug. "Handshakes are overrated," he states as he pulls back.

I turn to Oliver who has walked up to me. "I really had fun," I state. "Thank you."

"Thank you," he says, hugging me. "You're more than welcome to come over any time."

"I'll remember that," I reply, stepping up to the fire. "I'll see you guys at school then."

I throw a handful of Floo powder into the fire and state, "The Den." Stepping out into the living room, I find Remus asleep on the couch in front of me. The full moon is tomorrow night so he'll spend the night locked up in our basement were he's built a makeshift cage.

I walk over to him, take the blanket off out of the back of the couch, and lay it on top of him. Placing a kiss on his forehead, I walk off to bed.

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**You know the deal.**

**Also,**

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**Even if you won't read it.**


	16. Introducing Blaise Zabini

**And Chapter 16.**

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I decided to take the train back to school rather than Flooing, the day before term started back up. Tonks dropped me off so we could spend some time together before I had to catch the train because she's been busy with her new job at the Ministry of Magic.

"I had fun today, thanks Tonks," I state when we walk through the barrier.

She frowns at me. "I should really see you more often. I feel like I'm a bad cousin."

"Is there really a cousin handbook?" I ask with a smirk. "And anyway, you're by far not my worse cousin."

"Speaking of relatives of mine…" Tonks states slowly as Draco and my mother walk through the barrier.

Draco makes to speak to me but I shake my head as little as possible, so Draco gets the hint, but Tonks doesn't notice. It's clear that she's too interested in Narcissa anyway.

Draco and I both watch the exchange. They stare at each other with little facial expression and finally, Tonks nods at her aunt. Narcissa returns the small gesture and Tonks bends back down to me.

"I'm off girly," she says with a smile that looks all too forced. "Write me a couple hundred times, eh?"

"Of course," I reply, hugging her tight. She ruffles my hair and leaves back through the barrier.

"I wasn't aware you were acquainted with Andromeda," Narcissa states.

I turn to her and nod. "She was my father's closest relative, as I'm sure you must know. Apparently he wrote to her when first sent to Azkaban, wishing her to look after me."

"I hear my niece is now an Auror," she says slowly.

"She is," I state.

Narcissa turns to Draco and says goodbye to him. She places a hand on my shoulder, the first gesture of compassion she has given me, and leaves the platform just as the warning whistle blows.

"Shall we?" I ask Draco, gesturing towards the train.

"If we must," he replies, picking my own trunk up with his own. I raise an eyebrow at him and he shrugs.

We make our way onto the train and Draco stops. "Would you want to sit with me and Blaise?"

"Zabini?" I ask.

"Yeah," he replies. "I mean- you don't have to."

"Sure," I state. "Why not?"

We walk into the third compartment from the back where Blaise is already seated.

"Blaise," Draco states as he places our trunks above the seats.

"Draco," he replies in the same tone, attention focused on me.

Draco sits down across from Blaise and I sit behind him. "This is my cousin Taylor," he says with a gesture towards me. "Taylor, this is Blaise."

I look at him, and with a slight nod of my head I state, "Zabini."

With a true Slytherin smirk, he states "Black" and looks to Draco. "Playing with the Gryffindors, now?"

I turn to look at Draco and raise an eyebrow, "playing with the half bloods now?"

"Good form," Blaise states, holding out his hand with a smile. Just as I shake it, the train lurches forward.

"So how do your little Gryffindorks feel about you being with Draco here?" Blaise asks, leaning backing his seat.

I shrug at him, "The only person to have said something to me about it was Weasley, everyone else is either too afraid to approach me, or it doesn't bother them as long as we're not typically seen together."

He laughs, "What did Weasle have to say about it?"

"Not much after my fist collided with his face."

Blaise stares at me, his mouth hung open and Draco turns quickly to me.

"What?" he asks astounded. "When was this?"

"When I was in the hospital," I reply. "Although his comment was more aimed at my personal ancestry, rather than you."

"Wish I had been there to see that," Blaise says, shaking his head.

I smile at him. "I can't say McGonagall was all too pleased when she walked into that."

Both Draco and Blaise crack up laughing. Draco takes out a deck of exploding snap cards. "In for a game?"

"Sure," Blaise replies and turns to me.

I shake my head and pull the potions book that Snape had given along with a Muggle pencil out of my robe's pocket. "I have some reading I want to do." I turn sideways on the seat, resting my back against the compartment wall, and my feet on Draco's lap. As I open the book in front of me, I notice Blaise studying Draco for a reaction of some sort, which he doesn't make. I smile and return my eyes to the book.

When the train stops, we grab out trunks and make our way to the platform where a row of carriages wait.

"Wow," Blaise says, looking them over as the first one in line leaves. "They're horseless."

I shake my head at him as we approach a carriage in the middle.

"No?" he asks as I stare in front of the carriage where a large winged animal was hitched to it. "You feel alright?"

I sigh, getting into the carriage with Draco and Blaise. When it starts moving I look to Blaise. "They're pulled by Threshals."

"By what?" he asks.

Draco looks quickly to me and then back to Blaise. "Threshals are magical creatures invisible to anyone who hasn't seen a person die."

"Creepy," Blaise states, looking out the carriage to where the Threshal is.

"Yeah," I state, looking out towards Hogwarts. "Very."

Saying goodbye to Draco and Blaise in the entrance I follow a group of fourth years to the Gryffindor common room, breathing in deep before entering.

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Getting back into the swing of school after time off was a major pain in the ass. Harry and Ron had no luck over break finding anything out anything on Nicholas Flamel, much to the disappointment of Hermione, so we started back up right away searching for information during any free time we could muster.

Harry and I had less time to ourselves because Oliver was working us hard with practice, which he asked me to attend each one. Both Fred and George were complaining about Oliver becoming a 'fanatic' but if Gryffindor won the next match, they would overtake Slytherin in the house cup for the first time in seven years.

During an extremely wet and muddy practice, Oliver finally flipped out on Fred and George who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.

"Will you stop messing around!" he yells. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"

We all watch as George really does fall off his broom at Oliver's words. "_Snape's_ refereeing?" He sputters through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."

The rest of the team lands next to George, complaining as well.

"It's not _my_ fault," Oliver states, frustrated. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."

I look to Harry who has an extremely worried expression on his face, no doubt thinking Snape is refereeing as an attempt to kill him.

After practice, when the team usually stays around to talk, I notice Harry quickly makes his way back to the castle. I make to follow him but Fred and George hold me back.

"Quick proposition?" Fred asks, looking around to make sure no one else was listening.

"What this time?" I ask with a smirk.

George leans in, "What do you say to a small prank on the entire Slytherin Quidditch team?"

"I'd say count me in."

"Awesome," Fred replies. "I've got to talk to Angelina, I'll see you later then."

I watch as he makes his way to the chaser and I start heading back to the castle, George at my side filling me in on how we're going to turn the Slytherin team a bright pink, once they figure out how to do it.

We make it back to the common room, and I sit beside Harry while George goes up to change, just as Neville comes hopping through the portrait hole, having been victim of a Leg-Locker curse.

The common room laughs except for me and Hermione. I stand up and wave my hand at Neville, performing the counter curse. As Neville thanks me, I inwardly curse, hoping that no one noticed I had used wandless magic. From the look that Hermione was giving me, I don't think I'm in luck.

Hermione finally looks away form me and leads Neville to the couch. "What happened?" she asks him, and I sit down across from them.

"Malfoy," Neville says shakily, and Ron throws me a dirty look. "I met him outside the library. He said he was looking for someone to practice on."

Hermione tells Neville that he should tell McGonagall but he refuses, not wishing to cause himself any more trouble, stating that he's not brave enough to be in Gryffindor.

I smile as Harry hands Neville a chocolate frog. "You're worth twelve of Malfoy," he states. "The sorting hat chose you fro Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."

Neville smiles and stands up, wishing to go to bed. Before he leaves he hands Harry the card that came with the frog, knowing that Harry collects them.

When Neville had walked away, Harry looks at the card. "Dumbledore again," he says. "He was the first one I ever-"

Harry stops abruptly and glances up at us quickly and then returns to the card. "Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 145, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, _and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicholas Flamel!"_

Hermione jumps up and runs up the girl staircase, returning a moment later with a large book. She searches few the pages and stops when she finds what she was looking for. "Nicholas Flamel," she whispers, "is the _only known maker of the Sorcer's Stone!"_

"The what?" Harry and Ron ask, and I say, "shit."

Hermione rolls her eyes, but before she can lecture Harry and Ron I turn to them. "It's a stone than can turn metals to gold, along with producing an elixir that makes the drinker immortal."

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying?" Harry says. "No wonder Snape's after it! _Anyone_ would want it.

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The day before the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, Oliver and McGonagall approached me after lunch.

"Miss Black, a word?"

I study her carefully, having just gotten finished with detentions after the Slytherin team suddenly found their skin a bright pink. I tell Harry, Ron and Hermione to go ahead to the common room without me and walk out of the hall with McGonagall and Oliver.

"There has been a death in Miss Bell's family and she will be required at home. The Gryffindor team will be a member short and Wood here has asked me if you could play in replace of her."

"And your thoughts?" I ask, not giving her a facial expression.

She sighs. "Against my better judgment, I will allow it." She turns to leave and stops, glancing back at me. "Don't make me regret my decision, Black."

"Ready for this?" Oliver asks when she disappears.

"Worried about regretting your decision too?" I ask him.

"With you?" he asks. "Never."

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**Anyone who writes knows how much a review can make an author happy.**

**You guys are awesome.**


	17. An Overheard Conversation

**So here's Chapter 17,**

**Time for Quidditch!**

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Hermione and Ron wish us good luck outside of the locker room before the game starts. I can tell that Harry is incredible worried about Snape being around and I have to admit, I'm not feeling too great about it either. I can't say that I remember one word of the prep talk that Oliver just gave us all.

I watch as Oliver pulls Harry aside, no doubt telling him how important the match was. When he's through with Harry he walks over to me, squeezing my shoulder. "You'll be great," he states softly, as so, no one else will hear him.

Fred gives us a quick glance before peeking out of the door. "The whole school's out there. Even- blimey- Dumbledore's come to watch!"

Harry runs to the door. "_Dumbledore_?" he asks, checking for himself. The relief he feels is evident on his face and I can't suppress a smile. If Dumbledore is watching, nothing bad could possibly happen during the game.

"Come on team," Oliver states, gesturing us through the door. I grab Katie's broom, which I will be using during the game, and follow George out of the locker room.

Oliver walks over towards Snape and shakes the hand of the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain and mounts his broom. When Snape blows the whistle I kick off, following the other two chasers, Angelina and Alicia into the air.

Alicia quickly gains control of the Quaffle, on a path in the middle of me and Angelina. As she is pursued, she tosses the ball to me. Having to slow down to miss a Bludger I throw it to Angelina. When we reach the Hufflepuff keeper, she throws it back to me. I quickly throw it to the left of the keeper, watching as it goes through a ring, earning us ten points.

Angelina gives me a pat on the back before the keeper throws the Quaffle to one of his own Chasers and we chase after.

A whistle is blown and the game halts. Snape has awarded Hufflepuff a penalty shot after George had hit a Bludger at him. Oliver easily blocks the attempted shot and the game gets back on way as Oliver passes the Quaffle to Angelina. Angelina hands it off to Alicia, who hands it to me. I throw it back to Alicia who quickly scores Gyrffindor another ten points, making the score twenty-nothing.

The Hufflepuff Keeper throws the Quaffle to one of his Chasers, but the pass is too low and I easily intercept it, throwing it back through one of the rings before the keeper has time to react. He swears, furious at himself. Just as he is about to throw the Quaffle back out a whistle blows once more, another penalty for Hufflepuff, this time, apparently, for no reason.

Oliver isn't as lucky this time and the Chaser makes the shot, making the score now thirty-ten.

He passes the Quaffle to me and as I swerve to miss a Hufflepuff chaser, I pass it to Alicia, who holds onto it as we approach the Keeper and then hands it off to Angelina who easily scores.

Before the Quaffle is thrown out again, I notice that Harry has seen the snitch, making a dive for it. Just as the Hufflepuff Chaser is about to make an attempt on scoring, Harry catches the snitch, narrowly missing Snape in his dive, and ending the game.

The stands explode in cheers, as quick as the game was over, it had to be a record. I follow Alicia and Angelina to the ground who immediately engulf my in a hug when I dismount my broom.

I look to Snape who bitterly spits on the ground; Gryffindor was now first in House points.

The Gryffindor House swarmed down onto the field to congratulate us all, and as soon as we could, we made it back to the lock room where Oliver was waiting to praise Harry for an incredibly quick end to the game.

"Wow," he says, as we begin to change out of our Quidditch robes. "Just wow."

"Way to be articulate, Oliver," George states, clapping him on the back.

He ignores George and looks to Harry. "We'll win the cup this year. I have a feeling Harry, and we'll owe it to you. Great job today."

"Spanking good," Fred adds.

"Excellent," I say at him with a smile.

"And you," Oliver says, quickly turning his attention in my direction, a smile on his face.

"What I do?" I ask quickly.

He smiles at me as some of the team members laugh. "You'll be an excellent addition to the team next year, I'm only sorry you're not a fulltime member this year, but boy did you pull through for us."

"Two goals," Angelina states, clapping me on the back.

"I told you I'd owe you," Oliver states, walking over to me when everyone resumes changing. "Thanks, Tay."

"No problem, Oli," I state. Using his nickname in seriousness this time, instead of blushing, he smiles at me.

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Harry and I leave the locker room together some time later to put our brooms into the broom shed. It was the first time since the game that we were able to have any time alone.

"Great job today, Harry," I state.

He smiles at me. "You weren't too bad yourself. I was watching you a bit."

"You look exhausted," I say looking at him.

He sighs and leans up against the wall of the broom shed as we reach it, looking up at Hogwarts in the sunset. "I've been thinking a lot." He says as I lean up next to him. "Over break I found a mirror which showed what you desired most, and I saw my parents."

I take his hand, the one not holding onto his broom, and give it a squeeze. He turns to me. "This whole Snape thing isn't helping too much either."

"Speaking of Snape…" I state, letting go of Harry's hand, watching the man sneaking off to the forbidden forest when the school should be at dinner.

Looking at each other, Harry and I mount our brooms and push off, following Snape into the forest. Losing sight of him, we hover until we hear a set of voices, and land without a sound in a tree above them.

Harry and I both creep slowly through the tree, seeing Snape and Quirrel in conversation. Quirrel's stuttering now worse than ever.

"…d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…"

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," Snape replies in an icy voice. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, after all."

Quirrel is mumbling now and I am unable to hear him, but whatever he says is not what Snape is wishing to hear because he cuts him off.

"Have you figured out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"

"B-b-but Severus, I-"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," Snape says, taking a step towards him.

"I-I don't know what you-"

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

An owl hooted loudly and Harry looked as if he was about to fall out of the tree. It blocked out some of what Snape was saying. "- you're little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."

"B-but I d-d-don't-"

"Very well," Snape cuts in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think over and decide where your loyalties lie."

Harry and I watch as Snape throws his cloak over his head and heads back to the castle, leaving Quirrell standing there looking as if he was petrified.

Without a word to each other, Harry and I mount our brooms and fly to the broom shed to put them away. Once we hit ground, Harry turns to me, "still trust him?"

I put my broom away and wait for Harry to do the same. "Doesn't matter," I reply. "I still have detention with him tonight." It wasn't actually detention that I had with Snape, but my first Occlumency lesson.

"You can't go!" Harry almost shouts at me.

I shake my head and start walking towards the castle. "Don't worry about me. Tell Hermione and Ron what happened, and I'll be back later."

I open up the door and he is about to reply when Hermione and Ron come bounding towards us. "I'll be fine," I state and head towards the dungeons.

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	18. Occlumency

**After spending last night re-reading this story,**

**I realized how uber long the last 2 chapters will be,**

**So tonight's update will be 3 chapters,**

**Because I'll make the last 2 separate days.**

**Enjoy.**

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Stopping outside of Snape's door, I try to fix my appearance. From not showering after the game, I have dirt smeared on me. Added onto that are a few scratches I sustained from the tree that I had landed in.

I take a deep breath and knock on the door. "Enter, Black."

I walk into his office and he points towards the seat in front of his desk, sitting himself behind the desk.

"What do you know about Occlumency?" He asks, studying me from behind is desk.

"It seals the mind against magical intrusion and influence. But I don't understand why the Headmaster thinks that I could use it. It's not as if the Dark Lord is in power right now, and even if he was, what would it matter?"

Snape continues to study me from behind his desk. As I wait for his answer, he stands up and walks around the desk, sitting down on its front so he is mere inches from me.

"There is reason to believe," Snape says, pausing. "That the Dark Lord is using others to help get him stronger. He is not dead, as the minister likes to believe."

This statement does not surprise me at all. Remus is in close contact with Dumbledore and has been meeting with him more often. Also, every Death Eater is marked by Voldemort. The stronger that Voldemort gets, the darker the mark is.

I nod at Snape. "It's darker, isn't it?" I ask him.

"Not enough to be worried," he replies after slight hesitation. "But it's there, when just last year it wasn't."

I pause before speaking. "Dumbledore thinks that I'm a danger to Harry, doesn't he?"

"In simplest terms."

"Does Remus know why Dumbledore is insisting on this, or does he think it's for my benefit?"

"The latter," Snape replies, and I look at my hands. "You knew all this already."

Looking back up at him I reply, "I had my assumptions; however, I'm surprised that you're telling me."

He shrugs and stands up. "As much as you may not believe it, I do not agree with all that Dumbledore does, but I will always remain loyal." I watch as Snape takes his wand and places it against his temple, removing strands of memories, and places them into a stone basin called a Pensieve, which is used for re-examining and storing memories. He frowns, repeats this gesture a few more times, and then turns around, still behind his desk. "Stand up and take out your wand."

I get to my feet and do as told, facing Snape putting the desk in between us.

"You may use your wand to attempt to disarm me, or defend yourself in any other way you can think of," Snape says. "I am about to attempt to break into your mind…Brace yourself, now…_Legilimens!"_

He struck before I was ready for him to do so, the office vanished from my mind and image after image was suddenly racing through my mind like a film…

I see myself as three, crying to myself in a corner at the orphanage…I'm five and had just gotten punished after a boy orphan found himself unable to talk and no one could figure out why…Remus rescuing me from the orphanage when I was seven…Meeting Draco in Diagon Alley…McGonagall telling me that blood is thicker than water…Talking with my mother at Lucius' party…

_He can't know_, I tell myself.

Panicking, the images stop and I realize that I'm on my knees, pain surging through them. Looking at Snape, I notice that he's lowered his wand, looking closely at his wrist where a decent sized blister has formed.

"Did you mean to produce a Burning Hex?" he asks, eyes narrowed.

"No sir," I reply, pushing myself up slowly from the floor.

"I didn't think so," he replies, watching me closely. "You let me get in too far. You lost control."

I glare at him as he says this, not knowing exactly how to stop him. "Do you see everything that I do?" I ask.

"Flashes of it," he replies, studying me. "Where were the first few memories of?"

"An orphanage," I state, stoically.

He looks at me in confusion for a moment before speaking once more. "That was not a poor first attempt, seeing as you eventually managed to stop me, but you need to repel me with your brain. You shouldn't need to resort to using your wand.

"I was trying, sir."

"Well try harder."

I shoot a glare at him before placing my wand on the chair behind me. He raises an eyebrow at me, "Eager to learn?"

"I have my reasons," I reply. I have enough things that I'm trying to keep private without having to worry about someone delving into my mind.

His eyes narrow. "Let's go again…on the count of three…one- two- three-_Legilimens!"_

I'm accidentally witnessing Remus making his transformation into a werewolf… '_leave me alone' _written out on a piece of parchment…My mother resting her hand on my shoulder on the platform…My fist colliding with Ron's face…I'm six and standing on a beach, and a boy about fourteen is screaming from the water…

"Noooo!" I scream, pain shooting through my head from when it apparently collided with the wall behind me. I'm on my hands and knees, and to my horror I feel tears running down my face. That memory- I had forgotten about it until just now. I look up slowly and see Snape slowly getting up from behind his desk, his face ridden with panic. It looks as if he had ducked whatever had caused me to be thrown against the wall, bottles behind him at about his head level are broken, their contents leaking down the shelf.

My heart is beating so fast it almost hurts, and I can't catch my breath. Snape watches me from behind his desk, intently, worry on his face.

Suddenly, he moves to his fireplace, throwing a handful of Floo powder into the flames. Not being able to form words, I watch as he calls Dumbledore, throwing his head through the fire and asking his to come into his office. He backs away from the fire and continues to look down on me. I look at the ground before me, attempting to regain control of my body's actions.

"Severus?" I hear Dumbledore ask. I look up quickly hearing Dumbledore's voice and notice that his eyes are wide at my appearance. "What happened?" He asks, as I slowly sit down against the wall, hugging my knees tight to my chest.

When Snape doesn't respond I realize that Dumbledore had aimed the question to me. When I don't answer, he turns to Snape.

"I'm not sure," Snape replies, confusion rather than aggravation in his voice. "She was able to throw me out of her mind in my first attempt with an accidental Burning Hex, but she didn't even have her wand on her this time. There was a blast of some sort that threw her against the back wall. I ducked before it could hit me, but as you can see, it damaged several of the jars on the shelf."

I wipe the tears from my eyes as Dumbledore approaches me, kneeling down in front of me so that I have no choice but to look at him.

"Taylor," he starts slowly. "What did you mean to do?"

I shake my head quickly, "Nothing," I reply, tears still falling from my eyes.

He frowns and stands back up. "It was just accidental magic then."

"Albus!" Snape exclaims, outraged. "That was not just a bit of accidental magic!"

Dumbledore shook his head. "She did not mean to produce any hex, making it quite accidental to her consciousness, however, the subconscious mind, especially the subconscious pure-blood mind, has always been quite complex."

"What does my blood have to do with this?" I ask Dumbledore.

"As it seems," he states, "Everything. Severus, I suggest that you call it a night and take Taylor here to the hospital wing. Apparently I have some things to look into."

Snape stares in shock to where Dumbledore had just disappeared through the fire. Slowly, he turns his attention back to me. I look down as he watches me. "Can you stand?" he finally asks.

Not too sure at the answer myself, I don't answer, but attempt to push myself up, bracing myself on the wall. When I am in a standing position, he beds down, picking my wand up off the floor. "Follow me," he states, walking to a blank stone wall to the right of his fire.

I look at him in confusion as he draws a pattern on the wall with the tip of his wand. The pattern glows green and most of the wall suddenly vanishes, revealing an archway. He steps through, and as he told me to do, I follow closely behind him.

We enter what seems to be Snape's personal quarters. He leads me to a small dining room table and gestures for me to sit. I do so and he disappears through a door. Moments later, he returns holding a teakettle and two cups. He pours a cup and places it in front of me, and then sitting across from me at the table, he pours himself a cup.

He takes a sip of his tea and then nods towards me. "Drink some, I put a calming draught in it."

I put the cup to my lips and drink, instantly feeling a great deal better. "Thank you," I state, feeling very awkward at my current situation.

I place the cup down and fold my hands on the table in front of me, not taking my eyes off them. I take a few deep breaths and attempt to clear my mind.

"The memory," Snape says suddenly. "What was it? The last one."

"I don't know," I reply all too quickly.

He narrows his eyes at me. "Like you, I do not appreciate being lied to."

"Sir," I reply. "If I knew what that memory was, you're right, I would probably lie to you. However, up until that moment, I was unaware I held such a memory. I am not lying when I say that I do not know what it is, because I cannot remember."

"Nothing?" he asks.

I shake my head, looking down at the table. I take another sip of tea and look back up at him. "What happened wasn't normal, was it?"

"No," he replies. "But it being a suppressed memory explains a lot. It wasn't you that didn't want to show me, but your memory itself."

"Is there something wrong with me?" I ask.

He studies me for a moment before answering. "Wrong no, but definitely different. You are powerful far beyond your age and not yet disciplined enough to know how to control it. The Headmaster mentioned being pureblood, which I was unaware of, but that would add to matters. The magic of a pureblood tends to be finicky depending on how deluded it is. I'm assuming that Dumbledore is aware of your heritage, are you?"

"Black," I reply with a scowl.

Snape stares at me. "I am well aware of your father. You do know it takes two people to produce an offspring. I was referring to your mother."

I smirk at him. "As was I, sir."

I can't contain my laughter when I render Snape speechless. "Narcissa?" he finally asks. "How? Does Lucius know? Who's aware of this?"

I place aside the fact of how human Snape is actually acting and instead of being sarcastic, as I had planned; I decide to answer him normally.

"My grandmother had wanted a pureblooded child," I start. "Apparently my father was worried about not coming out of the war alive and although he hated his name, he wanted a child. Fearing losing the Black assets, he agreed, and my grandmother conned Narcissa into it. She hid the fact she was pregnant with me from Lucius, and had Draco only eleven months later." I pause, letting Snape comprehend all of this.

"I spent about two years with my father before he was arrested, and then around five years in a Muggle orphanage. My grandmother was ill and unable to care for me, and Remus was too worried about caring for me. About twice a year I would be permitted to visit my grandmother up until Remus took me in."

"A pure-blooded Black," Snape says, shaking his head. "Remarkable. And Lucius doesn't know?"

"No," I reply. "Draco was told by his mother once we started school together, but in fear of his mother getting killed he assured me that he would never tell anyone."

"Noble boy," Snape mumbles, standing up from the table and walking over to me. "Look to your right."

I do as am told, looking away from Snape and towards a wall. I feel Snape's hands in my hair, checking out where I had hit my head against the wall earlier.

"Fuck," I state, cringing when he presses down too hard.

"Language, Black." he replies, not removing his hand. "Are you feeling tired at all?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

He lets go of me, and the pain vanishes from my head. "Because," he states, as I turn to him. "Try as we may, potions cannot yet cure any ailment, and concussions are one of them. Have you had one before?"

I nod. "I think a couple when I was younger."

"This was when you were in Muggle care?"

Again I nod.

"I am not sure that you have sustained a concussion, but none the less I would like you to spend your night here."

When I attempt to object he stops me. "It's either here or in the hospital wing, where it would be upon yourself to explain to Pomfrey and McGonagall where you sustained such an injury."

I glare at him. "Yes, sir."

"You should feel honored," he states with a smirk. "Few students have found themselves welcome in my personal quarters."

As I continue my glare towards him, he laughs, making me stop. "Problem?" he asks, voice full of amusement.

"You laughed," I state.

"Yeah, well- don't be spreading that around."

I shake my head at him. "So why let me see it?"

"Surprisingly," he states, walking over to a couch in his parlor. He waves his wand and bedding appears on it. "I don't mind you," he finishes. "However, I'll never repeat that if asked, now get over here."

I smile at him and walk over to the couch. "I hope you won't mind if I refrain from tucking you in."

"I've never needed it before, I'll surely not start with you." I turn the blanket over and sit near the pillow. "Sir?" I ask.

"What is it?" he asks, sitting in an armchair beside the fire in front of me, holding a goblet towards me.

"I was wondering if I could somehow send a message to Harry," I state slowly, taking the goblet. "If I don't return he'll think that you've killed me."

I drink the potion and lie down as Snape says, "Surely he doesn't believe that I'm that rash."

I feel myself growing incredibly tired and have to fight to keep my eyes open. "He would if he thinks you're after the-" I find myself stating and instantly falling into deep sleep.

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	19. The Memory

**And Chapter 19…**

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"Hermione," I state, looking at the schedule she had just handed me. "There is no way that this schedule is feasible."

I had woken up in Snape's quarters a few weeks ago with a note stating that we would continue with lessons every Tuesday night and that I should practice emptying my mind of all emotions at night. Apparently, he had sent a note off to Harry telling him that I had injured myself in detention, which Harry hadn't questioned when I met him the next morning at breakfast.

Harry and Ron have taken to being nicer to Quirrell in attempts to help him not to cave in to Snape. I can't come to terms with Snape possibly being evil, and yet liking him, so I've chosen to not meddle in anything and letting it fold out itself. Hermione, however, has taken efforts to start studying for exams, which are ten weeks away, which she informed us was like a second to over six hundred year-old Nicholas Flamel.

"Why?" Hermione says, snatching it from me. "What's wrong with it?"

"Besides not factoring in Quidditch practice, which Oliver has informed me that I am not to miss, I have a detention with Snape every Tuesday night for the rest of term." I state. "Also, you've forgotten that I don't study."

Harry and Ron both start laughing at this, but Hermione looks at me furious. "Do you realize that we need to pass these exams to get into second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me…"

Any free time we had, Hermione insisted that we be in the library studying. I complied, not wishing to hear her complaining, only when I couldn't find an excuse out of it.

Tonight we were in the library studying potions, which I found to be incredibly useless to me, but Harry and Ron were shy of even poor in the subject and I felt inclined to help them while Hermione searched for more advanced books for her and I to look through.

"Ron," I state, slamming my book down on the table, earning me glares from other occupants of tables. "Do you so much as pay _any_ attention in class?"

"Why would I pay attention to that bat?" he asks.

"Because that _bat_ is probably the greatest potions master in over a century and if you listened you might have a chance of not flunking out."

He glares at me and takes the book. "What chapter was that in?"

I breathe in deep. "The first," I reply through clenched teeth.

"Oh," he states quietly, and from beside him Harry starts laughing.

I hear my name called from behind me and Ron and Harry both stand up with their wands drawn. I look quickly at Draco and turn back to them. "Sit the hell down and read." Harry slowly sits down but Ron ignores me. "Now Weasley." Ron sits back down and begins angrily flipping through his book.

I walk over to Draco who was now leaning up against the end of one of the shelves. "Potter and Weasel are watching me," he states with a grin, raising his eyebrows. "Think they have a thing for me?"

I can't help laughing. "I doubt it."

He pretends to pout and I roll my eyes at him. "Teaching potions, I see?" He asks me.

"More like poorly attempting to," I state, looking over to Harry and Ron, who immediately look down at their books to avoid my eyes. "Harry's not so bad now that he's re-learned some basics he missed while hating Snape."

"Sure," Draco states and then gestures towards a table in the corner where Blaise is sitting. "I was wondering if you'd mind helping us out for a moment. We're kind of stuck on a potion and can't decipher the wording."

"Sure," I reply and begin to follow him over to the table. I stop beside Harry and Ron. "I'll be right back, I just need to help Draco and Blaise for a bit."

"Okay," Harry replies.

"Hmph," Ron states, not looking up from his book.

"Chill out," I state, smacking him in the head. "He's not going to hex me."

"He's in Slytherin, I wouldn't put it past him," Ron states. "Cousin or not."

"Well you two have no reason to trust him," I reply. "And personally I don't suggest that you do. However, I have my own reasons, so- I'll be right back."

"So what can I do for you?" I ask, sitting down beside Blaise.

"Besides cursing Potter?" he asks with a grin.

I shake my head at him. "I think that I will leave that one to the Dark Lord and his esteemed followers."

"Soft spot for him, eh?" Draco states.

"As one of the few Gryffindors who will speak to me, I'll have to go with a yes. Now what's your problem?"

"This potion," Draco states, turning the book towards me. I look down at the page where the instructions for a simple healing potion are written.

"What about it," I ask

"It's the first potion that we've come across where it specifies which direction to stir; we'd just like to know what it matters."

I roll my eyes at him. "You do know that Snape covered that, right?"

"Yeah, well- not all of us are wishing to be his disciple," Blaise replies.

"Fuck you," I state with a glare. "The only reason it matters which way you stir a potion is that some are more finicky than others. It's the magic behind the potion. If you don't make it a specific way it won't be the same potion."

"That's it?" Draco asks.

"Most certainly," I reply, standing up. "Now let me back to my table before your Slytheriness rubs off on me."

"That's a joke," Draco states as I leave.

"What'd they want?" Hermione asks as I sit down next to her, across from Harry and Ron. "Just a question about potions," I reply. "How'd your search go?"

"Not so well," she replies with a frown. "I couldn't find anything."

I reach into my bag and pull out the two potions books that I own. "Here," I say handing them to her. "I've read these through, but they might help you some."

"Thanks," she says, eyes wide, quickly opening to the first page.

"No problem," I reply, standing up. "I'll be right back; I want to look for a specific book."

Walking over to the small section that the library has on Occlumency, I sigh, noticing that I've read all possible books there. There's probably more in the restricted section, but I'd need a teacher's allowance for it. I walk towards the librarian's desk and notice McGonagall standing off to a corner watching a few older Slytherins.

"Professor," I state, walking towards her.

"What is it, Black?" she asks, turning her attention to me.

"I was wondering if you could give me permission to take out a couple of books on Occlumency from the restricted section as I've read all that the library has in its general collection."

"The Headmaster does have you learning then?" she asks me.

I nod and she walks over to the librarian, Madam Pince. I follow her and she tells the librarian that I have her full permission to take out any books on Occlumency. The librarian nods at me and I thank McGonagall, heading off to the restricted section.

There are only three books on the subject, and from the looks of them, they're pretty old. I pick out all three and head back to the table, opening the first one as I sit down.

Hermione looks over my shoulder at the book. "What's that?" she asks.

"Some personal reading," I say with a shrug.

"It's blank," she states, confused.

In just as much confusion, I look up at her. "What are you talking about? I mean, it's in Latin, but certainly not blank."

She reaches for the book and immediately retracts her hand.

"Ouch! It burned me!" She cries.

I hear Draco laughing from beside me. "Burning your friends now, Tay?"

Harry and Ron don't get up this time, remaining sitting but glaring at Draco.

"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron states.

"I wouldn't be caught dead in your company Weasel," Draco states and then approaches me, placing a hand on the book. "Though so," he says. "If that's from the restricted section it's probably cursed against those who are Mud or Half Blood."

"Ah," I reply as Ron states, "You would know."

"As I should have," I state giving him a glare.

"I just wanted to thank you, I'd never hear the end from father if I scored poorly in Snape's class."

"I'm sure Lucius would get over it," I reply with a smirk, "But no problem."

He nods and walks away from our table, all eyes turning to me. "What?" I ask.

"You're on first name basis with his father?" Harry asks me.

"I don't really have a choice in that matter," I state, turning back to my book.

I don't look up from my book until I hear Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"

He shuffles into view, hiding something behind his back. "Jus' lookin'," he says in an incredibly shifty voice. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He asks looking at us suspiciously. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicholas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," Ron replies. "_And _we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St-"

"Shhhhhhhhh," Hagrid says, looking around quickly to see if anyone else was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"

"There are a few things that we'd like to ask you, as a matter of fact," Harry states. "About what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy-"

"SHHHHH," Hagrid says again. "Listen- come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh-"

"See you later then," Harry says.

We watch as Hagrid leaves, wondering what Hagrid was looking up. "I'll go check," Ron states, He comes back a few moments with books on dragons. "Dragon breeding is against the law, it's been outlawed," Ron states confused.

"So what on Earth is Hagrid up to?" Hermione asks.

"Whatever it is," I state. "You three will have to tell me about it," I say putting the books I wasn't reading into my bad and holding the last one. "Detention beckons."

"Good luck," Harry states, placing his hand on my shoulder. "No more concussions, right?"

"Right," I state and make my way to the dungeons. I knock Snape's office door but there's no answer. I'm about ten minute's early so I sit down with my back against the wall and open the book from where I had left off. Debating changing the Latin into English, I choose not to, knowing that it would lose some of its translation. I'm decent at Latin, having had Remus teach it to me. He claimed it would come in handy.

"You're early," Snape's voice sounds from above me.

I look up at him and shrug, "You try teaching Harry and Ron potions one on one."

I smile when he glares at me. "I'd rather not," he replies, gesturing me into his office door.

I stand up and follow him inside, sitting down on the chair in front of is desk as he sits once more on its front.

"Anything interesting?" He asks me, looking towards the book I was holding still.

"Actually, yes," I reply. "It's quite an old book on Occlumency."

He reaches out to pick it up and hisses, retracting his hand. Glaring at me, he pulls out his wand and waves it over the book, and once more reaches for it, this time picking it up and opening it.

"Sorry sir," I state. "I didn't realize tat there was a counter charm and if I knew that you weren't-"

"No matter," he replies quickly. "This is a decent text, one of the best that you can find outside of a personal library. I believe that your family has a few in its possession that you might want to look into." He pauses, flipping through the book. "You didn't translate it?"

"No sir," I state, shaking my head. "Remus told me not to translate if I can help it, because it will lose some meaning."

"He taught you Latin then?"

"Yes sir, and Greek."

"Well good for him," he replies, handing me back the book. "You ready?"

"Yes sir," I state, placing the book down and watching his walk behind his desk.

"One- Two- Three-_Legilimens!_"

I find myself outside of the teacher's lounge, Snape standing in front of Filch…the vision grows fainter and I can see Snape in front of me as well as the vision. With one last final bout of concentration, the vision is gone and I can no longer feel Snape in my mind but standing clearly in front of me.

"Remarkable," he states, lowering his wand.

"What?" I ask, slightly out of breath.

"You were able to throw me out of your mind without using magic," he states. "After only a month of studying, especially at your age, is unheard of. Improvement is supposed to be gradually, you made great jumps."

He walks back around the desk and sits in front of me. "You're quite the extraordinary girl, Black. Some of the greatest wizards cannot master Occlumency, and you are nearly there…why?"

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Why have you tried so hard towards mastering Occlumency?"

I pause before answering. "Because Dumbledore wants me to?"

"Stop being an ass."

Sighing, I look down at my hands. "There are things that I know-and apparently can do- that can really get some people hurt- and I don't want that."

"Anything else," Snape asks.

I shrug. "That memory," I reply. "I can remember it now."

"What was is?"

I look down at my hands and breathe in deep, waiting a moment before I answer. "I was six," I start. "It was a few weeks before I went to live with Remus. The orphanage had organized a day trip to the beach. I was changing into my bathing suit and a boy named Danny walked in on me- only he didn't leave. He was older, maybe 14 or 15, he…he pinned me up against the wall. He said that he'd kill me if I yelled for anyone, so- I didn't.

"People didn't like me there. Weird things happened around me, so they labeled me a freak. I- I believed him. So…I stood there, and- and he raped me. He told me not to tell any one, that if I did I'd be dead. So I didn't, and I went to the beach like nothing had happened…and then I saw him there. Having fun- splashing around in the water…and then he was screaming…I wanted him to hurt as he had hurt me- I wanted him to die…

I start crying- not wanting to look Snape in the face, I continue to look at my hands.

"…and he did." I can't control myself now. I'm sobbing, finally admitting to myself what had happened. "I killed him."

Suddenly I'm kneeling on the floor, and Snape's arms are wrapped tightly around me. "Shhh," I hear him saying. He starts speaking to me, but I can't make out any words. All I am conscious of is the fact that I am uncontrollably crying while my potions professor comforts me.

Finally, I calm down enough to stop crying and slowly catch my breath. Coming to my senses, I realize that I'm clutching Snape, but I don't yet want to let go.

"I'm sorry," I state, muffled by his cloak.

"Shhh," he says again. "Don't worry about it.' He pulls apart from me and uses one of his hands to lift my chin up, his other hand still behind me. "Close your eye and breathe slowly and deeply."

I do as he told me and find that it calms me down an incredible amount. He lets go of me completely and I look up at him.

"Are you okay?" he asks, remaining kneeling in front of me.

I nod at him and then I shrug, realizing that I'm not really sure how I am.

"It will take some time," he states, helping me back into the chair, still on his knees in front of me. "But you'll be okay."

"How do you know?" I ask him, wiping my eyes with my cloak.

"I've been in similar circumstances after pledging to the Dark Lord," he replies softly. "I promise you that the pain will fade in time."

I nod at him and he gives me a sad smile. "What do you say to bed?"

"Yeah," I reply as he stands up. As he walks to his desk and opens a draw, I stand up as well.

"Here," he says, handing me a large vial. "It's Dreamless Sleeping Potion. I don't recommend making it a daily use, but if you need it, I suggest taking it."

"Thank you," I say, putting it in my back pocket. When I reach the door to his office, he stops me.

"You'll be alright, Taylor."

I pause and look at him a moment before responding. "Thank you, Professor," I reply, and head back to the common room.

"Caput Draconis," I state, and the portrait swings open. Harry, Ron and Hermione are on the couch in front of the fire and I approach them slowly.

Harry sees me first. "Hey Tay! How was deten-…what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

He frowns at me. "You were crying."

"Oh," I state, wiping my eyes. "It's nothing. What's up with Hagrid?"

"He has a dragon egg!" Ron says excitedly. "A Norwegian Ridgeback!"

"How highly illegal," I reply. "Where'd he get one?"

Studying me, Harry replies, "He said he won it in a poker game"

"Must have had a good hand," I state, staring into the fire.

When Ron and Hermione decide to go up to bed, I stay behind, still staring into the fire. Harry decides to stay in the common room with me and I can tell that he's worried about me.

"Are you okay?" He asks, after much silence.

"I'm fine," I reply quickly.

He glares at me, "You're lying."

I sigh and lay down, using Harry's lap as a pillow. "There are some things in my life that I'm not too proud of, Harry."

"Want to talk about it at all?" he asks, stroking my hair.

"No thanks," I reply, closing my eyes. "I'm a bit talked out."

"Okay," he replies. "Hagrid told us that some of the teachers added something besides Fluffy to help protect the Stone- Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall, Quirrell, Dumbledore and Snape too."

"Mmm," I respond, falling asleep.

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**Just friendship people,**

**Just friendship.**

**Review and I'll see you tomorrow.**


	20. Confronting McGonagall

**Posting a bit early in the day tonight,**

**Giant Mid-Term exam tomorrow.**

**So,**

**Two chapters today,**

**Two tomorrow,**

**One Thursday**

**And one Friday.**

**First chapter of the sequel will be posted on 24, Monday.**

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After evening after evening of extra homework, Ron sighs, "I wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life."

"Go ask a muggle," I reply flipping through a Charms book, and Hermione glares at me through Ron's laughter.

At breakfast the next morning Hedwig brings Harry a note from Hagrid stating only "_It's hatching._"

We had Herbology first that morning and Ron wanted to skip it right away, arguing that there isn't going to be another time in our lives that we will be able to watch a dragon hatching. As Hermione explained that we could get in trouble for skipping a lesson, along with Hagrid once someone finds out what he's doing, Harry saw Draco listening intently to our conversation.

"Do you think Malfoy heard?" Harry asks me.

"No clue," I state as we run towards Hagrid's after Herbology has gotten over.

Hagrid greets us at the door, looking very excited. "It's nearly out," he says, ushering us inside.

The egg was lying on the table with deep cracks running down its side. We all drew chairs up to the table and watched it closely.

With little warning there was a scraping noise and the egg slip open, the baby dragon flopping on the table. It had huge spiny wings and a small jet body, a large snout, tiny horns and bulging orange eyes.

It sneezed and sparks flew out of its nose. Hermione and I both exchange glances, probably thinking the same thing; that Hagrid lives in a wooden house.

"Hagrid," Hermione says, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

He was about to answer when he leaps to his feet and runs to the window.

"What's the matter?" Harry asks.

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains- it's a kid- he's runnin' back up ter the school."

Harry bolts to the door and opens it, looking towards the castle. "Malfoy," he states, slamming the door close. "Malfoy's seen it."

It didn't help matters much that during the entirety of the next week, Draco would smile whenever he neared us. We all spent most of our free time in Hagrid's hut, trying to reason with him about the ever growing dragon, who he had named Norbert.

"Just let him go," Harry urges. "Set him free."

"I can't," says Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."

"He's lost his marbles," Ron whispers loudly to Harry.

"Hagrid," Harry says loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment."

Ron glares at me when Harry mentions Draco. I had already told them that I can't interfere in what Draco does but Ron didn't seem to like that answer.

"I- I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."

Harry suddenly turns to Ron, "Charlie," he states.

"You're losing it too," Ron replies. "I'm Ron, remember?"

"No-," He replies, annoyed. "Charlie- your brother. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back into the wild."

"Brilliant!" Ron cries. "How about it Hagrid?"

Hagrid agreed upon sending an owl to Charlie and asking him.

On Wednesday night, me Harry and Hermione were sitting alone in the common room, everyone else having already gone off to bed, when Ron came through the portrait hole, throwing Harry' invisibility cloak off of him. We had been waiting for him to come back from Hagrid's from helping feed Norbert.

"It bit me!" he cries, holding up his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief.

A tap on the window made us all jump.

"It's Hedwig!" Harry says, running to let her inside. "She'll have Charlie's answer!"

The four of us huddle together to read Charlie's response, stating that some of his friends can meet us on Saturday at the tallest tower on midnight. Harry quickly writes Charlie back saying that we can do it and then looks at us. "The invisibility cloak should be big enough to cover two of us and Norbert, who else wants to do it?"

"I can't," I reply frowning. "After tripping Goyle yesterday to fall into Neville's potion, Snape assigned me detention tomorrow night through Tuesday."

"I can't understand why," Ron says with a smile. "His face was a definite improvement, reminded me of a slug."

"Yeah," I state. "And I could have sworn Snape almost smiled."

The next morning, Ron's hand had swollen to more than twice its usual size. It had also turned green, leading us to believe that Norbert's fangs were poisonous.

At the end of the day, Harry, Hermione and I ran up to the hospital wing to see how Ron was doing.

"It's not just my hand," he whispers as we approach the bed. "Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me- I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me."

"It will all be over by Saturday," Hermione states.

Ron sits upright, very suddenly. "Oh no- oh no- I've just remembered- Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know that we're getting rid of Norbert!"

We didn't get a chance to answer because Madam Pomfrey ushered us out of the door stating that Ron needed to sleep.

"There's not time to change the plan," I state, walking back to the common room. "The letter would never get to Charlie in time."

"We'll just have to go through with it," Harry states. "Malfoy doesn't know that we have an invisibility cloak that we can use."

The next night came way too quickly for Harry and Hermione who were anxiously waiting on the couch after dinner. At quarter past eight, I stood up. "Good luck you guys."

"You too," Harry says with a smile.

I slowly make my way down to the dungeons not wishing to be too early for Snape, seeing as this was supposed to be a real detention. Timing my approach to his door for when the clock strikes 8:30, I knock and am instantly told to enter.

"Sir," I state, nodding my head and remaining standing in front of his desk.

"Formality," he states with a grin, looking up from a paper he was just grading. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

I shrug and sit down. "Thought I'd try something new?"

"Sure," he replies, looking back down at the paper to mark it with a 'P'.

"So what do you have planned for me tonight?" I ask in a tentative voice.

"I thought that you could organize my storage closet."

"Sounds grand," I state as he stands up. Following him outside of his office and into his classroom, he leads me off to the corner where a shambles of a storage closet lies. I look up to him quickly and he smiles.

"Organize it as you'd like," he states, still smirking. "Surprise me."

I glare at where he just disappeared from and turn back to the work I have in front of me.

It takes me nearly a full three hours to finish cleaning and organizing the closet. I sit with my back against the doorframe. "Master Snape, sir- I'm done."

I hear footsteps approaching and look up at Snape when I see his feet beside me. "Master?" he asks with a smirk. "I like it."

"You would."

He glances around the room. "Alphabetically by dangerousness?"

"You got it," I state.

"All five classes?"

"Four," I reply. "You didn't have any in the fifth."

"With you lot as students, I hardly think you can blame me."

"Whatever," I reply. "Am I done here?"

He glares down at me. "Yeah, get out of my sight."

I give him a mock bow. "Yes Master Snape," I reply before exiting the room, navigating through the dark dungeons. When I make it to the grand staircase, I come to a halt.

"Black!" McGonagall exclaims, pulling Neville by his elbow. "Another student out of bed at this hour!"

Before I can exclaim that I was coming back from Snape's, she continues. "My office, now!"

Not remembering her ever having been in a worse mood, I choose not to argue with her, and follow her and Neville closely.

When McGonagall ushers us into her office, I notice Harry and Hermione are already sitting in the chairs across from her desk.

"Harry!" Neville exclaims as he rushes into the room. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag-"

Harry quickly shakes his head, trying to get Neville to stop talking. McGonagall notices this and goes off on a tirade, falsely accusing Me, Harry and Hermione of making up a story about a dragon to get Malfoy in trouble and Neville having been caught up in it. Harry and I both try and catch Neville's eyes to let him know that it wasn't true, but he avoids looking at us, eyes full of hurt.

"I'm disgusted," McGonagall exclaims. "Four of my own students out of bed in one night! I have never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. Black," she sneers. "I can't say that I'm all too surprised."

I miss the rest of what she says, paying attention only when she assigns the four of us detentions and deducts fifty points from Gryffindor per each of us.

"Now get back to bed, all of you," she states in closing. "I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."

As Harry, Hermione and Neville leave, I choose to stay behind. Finally furious enough with her to state my mind.

"I thought I told you to go to bed, Black."

"No," I state fiercely, and her eyes narrow at me, looking angrier than I have ever seen her before. Now that I've started this, though, I have no choice but to continue.

"I'm sick of you," I state, beginning to pace in front of her desk. "You jump to conclusions about me thinking of me as nothing but my father's daughter. You can't even see me for the person that I am. Ever since stepping foot in this building I've been treated like shit, and what surprises me, is I get the worse of it from my own professor and Head of House!"

McGonagall doesn't respond and I stop pacing, to stare straight at her. "If you would have taken the time to allow me an explanation, you would have realized that I was coming back three plus hours of detention with Snape, organizing his storage cupboard…so out of your group of _prized_ Gryffindors, I was the only one not out of line.

"I've never lied to you," I state slowly. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I haven't ever lied to you or any other professor here. I own up to what I do…and if you'll excuse me now, I think I'll be off to bed."

I quickly turn out of her office, slamming the door closed behind me, attempting to catch my breath.

"Why aren't you back in your dorm yet?" Snape's voice asks from the left, where he is emerging from a corridor.

"I think you'd be better asking McGonagall that," I reply, storming off to the Gryffindor tower.

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	21. Detention

**Chapter 21**

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Students passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day, thought only a mistake could explain why the Gryffindor hour glass was now a hundred and fifty points fewer than it had been the night before. Apparently, McGonagall had retracted taking fifty points away for me being out of bed as well. I'm guessing that Snape had a conversation with her after I had left the both of them last night.

When what had happened circulated the school, it wasn't just the Gryffindors that were giving Harry, Hermione and Neville a hard time. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, after hoping that the Slytherins would lose the house cup for once.

Harry had even offered to resign from the Quidditch team, from which Oliver was astounded at the mere suggestion as a good way to get points back was winning at Quidditch. The team, even including Fred and George, refused to speak to him, and referred to him only as 'the seeker' when they either needed to talk to him or about him.

Harry seemed almost glad that exams were nearing, as it gave him something to take his thoughts off the house cup chase.

About a week before exams were set to start, Me, Hermione, Harry and Neville receive notes from McGonagall stating that we'll be meeting Filch in the entrance hall at eleven tonight for our detention. Looking to Draco, I notice that he's received one as well.

"I thought you were cleared," Fred states, looking over my shoulder at the parchment.

"Me too," I reply with a frown. "She's taken to simply avoiding speaking to me in class, which I can't say that I mind too much. This is probably just her way of getting back at me for yelling at her."

George nods in agreement after looking up at the head table. I follow his gaze and notice McGonagall looking at me intently. I nod in her direction, allowing her to know that I understand why I still got a detention, and to my surprise, she returns the gesture.

"It couldn't possibly be that easy to have gotten her off my back," I say to George in amazement. "If I had known that I would have yelled at her ages ago."

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At eleven o'clock, we say goodbye to Ron in the common room and make our way to the entrance hall where Draco and Filch were already standing. I give Draco a small reassuring smile and he smiles at me in return as Filch instructs us to follow him, lighting a lamp and leading us outside.

As Filch mutters about wishing he'd be allowed to use outdated, and incredibly painful punishments, I take time to gaze the stars. Star gazing is an old form of soothsaying magic that Remus likes to explore, and happened to get me into.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

We all turn towards Hagrid's voice and Filch tells us that we'll be doing our detention with Hagrid in the forest.

"The forest?" Draco repeats, stopping dead in his tracks. "We can't go in there at night- there's all sorts of things in there- werewolves, I heard."

"That's your problem, isn't it?" Filch says, his voice incredibly gleeful. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

"I'll be back at dawn," Filch says turning around towards the castle. "For what's left of them."

Draco turns towards Hagrid, declaring that he won't be going onto the forest. When Hagrid tells him that he doesn't have a choice and that his father can't help him out of it, he looks at Hagrid furiously.

I take a step backwards so I'm beside him and clasp his hand in my own. He squeezes it back and looks at me gratefully as Hagrid splits us up to search the forest for a badly injured Unicorn. He puts me with Draco, Neville, and his dog Fang, while taking Hermione and Harry himself.

Me, Draco and Neville take the right hand path in the first fork we hit in the path, having been told not to use out wands for lighting, we use the light of the moon to guide us, walking extremely slowly.

"What's that on the ground?" Neville asks quickly.

"Unicorn blood," I reply, bending down to examine the silver-blue blood. We continue walking down the path, finding only small patches of blood and no unicorn. Getting easily bored by the lack of excitement in our walk, Draco sneaks up behind Neville and grabs him. Panicking, Neville instantly sends up a spray of red sparks before I can stop him, signaling to Hagrid that we were in trouble.

"Great going," I mutter to Draco, as Hagrid's pounding footsteps come through the forest towards us.

Hagrid joins us and I quickly relay to him what had happened. He leads us back to Harry and Hermione, switching Neville and Harry in the groups and sending us back out.

I take Draco's hand once more, thins time to make sure that he leaves Harry alone. "Find anything exciting on your walk?" I ask.

"We ran into a few Centaurs," Harry replies. "Odd creatures, they are."

"You meet Bane?" I ask him

"Yeah," Harry says excitedly, turning towards me, and seemingly very surprised to see me and Draco holding hands. "You know him?" He asks, attempting to hide his initial reaction.

"I met him about a month after school started," I reply. "The centaurs have an old magic way of reading the stars and I went to the forest to see if they would actually hold a conversation with me. Bane was who I came across first. He was extremely hesitant to speak to me, but as I showed him proper respect, he was okay with it."

We walk for a while in silence until Harry holds his arm out to stop me and Draco. "Look," he mutters. I let go of Draco's hand in surprise, gazing at the dead unicorn. As Harry takes a step forward, I grab hold of his cloak, noticing a bush on the edge of the clearing suddenly move. A hooded figure crawls out of the bush. It approaches the unicorn and bends down to drink its blood.

Draco lets out a scream and bolts from where we were standing before Harry or I can stop him. The cloaked figure looks up and me and Harry, blood dripping from its face; neither Harry or I seem to be able to move.

Harry staggers backwards and falls to his knees suddenly and as I turn to him in concern a Centaur charges the cloaked figure, chasing it away and galloping back towards me and Harry.

"Are you all right?" the young, blonde haired Centaur asks Harry as he pulls him to his feet.

"Yes- thank you," Harry answers. "What _was_ that?"

The handsome blue-eyed Centaur doesn't answer, his eyes lingering on Harry's forehead.

"Firenze," I state with a small bow towards the Centaur. "This is Harry Potter."

"It is nice to see you once more, Miss Black," Firenze states, returning the bow. "It is a most inopportune moment, however, as the forest is far from safe at this time. Especially for him," he states, gesturing towards Harry.

Firenze has Harry climb on his back as to get out of the forest as quick as possible. I refuse, stating that I will ruin beside them, as I understand what proud creatures Centaurs are.

Sure enough, Bane and another Centaur named Ronan soon join us, and Bane shouts at Firenze allowing himself to be used as a common mule nodding forest in my direction as a greeting. With little warning, after yelling at Bane over who Harry is, Firenze takes off towards the castle. I say a hurried goodbye to Bane and Ronan before chasing after the two of them, muttering _Lumos_ as to not crash into any trees.

I catch up to Harry and Firenze as they had slowed down to a walk, clutching my side trying to catch my breath. We walk in silence until reaching a dense patch of trees and Firenze stops.

"Do either of you know what Unicorn blood is used for?"

I answer yes as Harry says no. Firenze gesture for me to continue.

"The blood of a unicorn can keep a person alive even when someone is even an inch away from death. But as a person has slain such a pure and defenseless creature to save yourself, you will live a half-life, cursed from the moment the blood touches your lips."

Harry stares at me. "Who would be that desperate?" Harry asks.

"Mr. Potter," Firenze says slowly. "Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course- the Elixir of Life. But I don't understand who-"

"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting for their chance?"

Sudden understanding catches Harry and he gasps. "Do you mean," he croaks. "That was _Vol-_"

Hermione calling out for us, cuts Harry off from finishing his question. She is running towards us down the path with Hagrid following behind her.

"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmurs as Hagrid hurries past us to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."

Harry slides off Firenze's back and he wishes us good luck, stating that he hopes the planets are wrong. I make a small bow to him, which is returned before he gallops into the depths of the forest.

By the time we make it back to the Common Room, Ron is already asleep on the couch and Harry shakes him awake, retelling all that had happened in the forest.

As the sky begins to lighten, I excuse myself from the continuing conversation, and make my way upstairs.

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Hasta manana, amigos.


	22. Are you evil?

**Long ass day ahead being Mid term week**

**So a very early posting.**

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With exam week, came the hottest week of the year. Sitting in overheated exam rooms with specially bewitched anti-cheating quills, however, was the least of my worries. With the approaching end of term, meant that it was highly likely that an attempt to steal the Sorcerer's Stone would come soon.

For the practical part of our exams, each professor had us perform a task. Flitwick calls us up one by one to make a pineapple dance across his desk. Wanting some form of a reaction from him for a change, I make it do a difficult waltz, and for a split second, I think I see a smile from him. Chances are it was my imagination.

McGonagall has us turn a mouse into a snuffbox, giving us extra points for how pretty it was and taking points off if it still had whiskers. I can't help grinning when McGonagall asks if she can keep mine, which I had made into an ornate ivy carved wooden box.

Snape did his best to make our class as nervous as possible, breathing down our necks one by one, as we had to make a Forgetfulness potion from memory. When he gets to me, I turn to smirk at him. Earning a smack off my head with his rolled up parchment of notes.

Harry's scar is bothering him more than ever as we take our last exam; History of Magic. I have a feeling that this will be my worse exam. I have no problem in reading up on the history of the wizarding world, but the text book that Binns has us use is ridiculously boring.

After the exam, me, Hermione, Harry and Ron walk down to the lake, sitting in front of a large willow tree. When Hermione starts to go over our exams, for the hundredth time, I stand up, joining Fred, George and Lee who were at the lake's edge, tickling the giant squid who was basking in the sun.

"How were exams?" George asks, wiping his hands on his pants and walking over to me, sitting down in the grass at my feet.

"Pretty good," I reply, sitting down next to him. "Pretty easy, actually."

We sit in silence for a few moments, watching Fred and Lee mess around at the lake. "Would you like to visit this summer?"

I turn to George, nodding. "I'd like that…I'd like to meet your sister. If she's anything like you and Fred, we should get along great."

"She can hold her own," he replies, moving behind me and wrapping his arms around me, his legs on either side of me.

I tilt my head back, looking for an explanation for his sudden motion.

"I want you to know that I care for you," he states with a shrug. "You push people away from you when you seem to get too close to them, and I think you should know that it's not going to work with me and Fred, because we see what you're doing, and we like you."

I shake my head at him and lean back into him, enjoying the beautiful day until Harry, Ron and Hermione run up to us, telling me that we have to see Dumbledore right away. I state a quick goodbye and apology to George before standing up and running to the castle with them as Hermione fills me in on how Hagrid told Snape how to get past Fluffy (play it music) by accident, while playing for the dragon egg in a card game.

Harry asks where Dumbledore's office is, so I take the lead, running towards it when McGonagall appears in front of us, asking what we're doing inside.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," Hermione says bravely.

"Why?" McGonagall asks, looking at the four of us curiously.

"It's sort of secret," Harry says, and McGonagall's eyes narrow.

We look at her aghast as she informs us that Dumbledore had left the castle to go to the Ministry of Magic at once.

"But this is _important_," Harry reasons and McGonagall might as well have scoffed at him.

"More important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"

"Look," Harry says, giving up on his argument. "Professor- it's about the Sorcerer's Stone-"

To say that his statement surprised her, would be an incredible understatement. The books she was carrying fall out of her arms, and she doesn't bother to pick them up.

"How do you know-?" she sputters.

"Professor," I state fiercely. "I don't believe it's a matter of how we know, but we have it on good knowledge that someone is going to attempt to steal the stone."

She ignores my statement and tells us that we are wrong and that there is no way that someone could steal the stone, as it is well protected and tells us to go back outside. We watch as she collects her fallen books and leaves. When she is out of earshot, Harry states that he knows it will happen tonight.

As we turn the corner, we're met with Snape, who has an odd smile on his lips. My theory of him not being evil certainly isn't looking too good right now. When he tells us we should be outside as to not look like we're up to something, he states that Gryffindor can't stand to lose anymore points. I tell Harry, Hermione and Ron that I will meet them later in the common room and stay behind as they leave to go outside.

"I'd like to talk to you, Sir," I state seriously, and he watches me in curiosity.

"What is it?" He asks me slowly.

I look around the corridor, and deciding that it was safe, I take a deep breath. "Are you…evil?" I ask, looking deeply in his eyes.

He raises an eyebrow at me causing me to sigh and sit down against the wall, resting my head in my hands.

"You're serious," he says slowly. "What brought this on?"

"I know about the stone," I say dully, defeated at not knowing what else to do. I don't want to believe that the professor who I have seemed to adopt as a mentor could be after returning the Dark Lord to power, but he doesn't have much for his defense.

When he doesn't make a response, I look up at him, taking in his shocked expression.

"I respect you," I say, grudgingly. "I'd just really like to know that you're really on the light side and that I'm not following in my name's footsteps."

Snape stands there staring at me for a few moments before answering. "No," he says softly. "I'm not evil."

"Promise?" I ask him, almost pleading.

"I promise," he replies, holding his hand out to help me back to my feet. I take it and he pulls me up.

"I'm going to go back to the common room now," I state and Snape nods at me, standing in place as I walk down the corridor. I'm incredibly surprised that he didn't ask any questions as to how I knew about the Stone, but my mind is put at least slightly at ease by his promise. I'm not sure if I should completely believe him, but I sure as hell would like to.

Walking into the common room, I find Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting before the fire, which had been charmed not to emit any heat.

"We're going after the stone tonight," Harry says quietly as I sit down beside Ron. "If we're caught, chances are we'll be expelled. You in?"

"Completely."

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	23. The Sorcerer's Stone

**Chapter 23**

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After dinner, me, Harry, Ron and Hermione sit apart from everyone else in the common room. It was probably a good thing that no one wanted to speak to Harry or Hermione after losing all those points, because we were able to talk without being bothered.

When Lee finally stands up to go off to bed Harry runs upstairs to get his cloak and a flute that Hagrid had given to him for Christmas and rejoins us back in the common room.

Just as we're about to make our way out the portrait hole, Neville reveals himself from one of the armchairs. He hasn't been sleeping very well lately since getting caught out of bed by McGonagall. He still believes that Harry had made up the story of the dragon.

"You're going out again," he says, accusingly.

"No we're not!" Hermione says, over enthusiastically. "Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"

Harry and I exchange looks as we notice the grandfather clock, knowing that we really can't afford to remain in the common room any longer.

Neville moves to block the portrait hole, standing up for once in his life to others. "You can't go out," he says, sternly. "You'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

I make a step towards him and he holds his wand out at me. "I won't let you do it…I'll fight you!"

"You really don't want to try that," I say with a small smile.

"_Do something_," Harry pleads to me.

"I'm really sorry Neville," I say, completely meaning my words. "_Petrificus Totalus,"_ I say, and Neville's arms snap to his sides and his legs together, finally falling flat on his face.

I walk over to him and turn him over so his face is pointing upwards. "You'll understand later," I state as Harry, Ron and Hermione walk over to us.

"What did you do to him?" Ron asks, astounded.

"The full body-bind," I reply, feeling quite miserable at having had to curse Neville. "Come one," I state. "Let's get this over with."

One by one, we step over Neville and Ron pulls the invisibility cloak over us as we step out of the portrait hole into the dark and still castle. At the top of the first set of stairs we come to Mrs. Norris is skulking around and we carefully tip-toe around her.

After a narrow escape where we were heard by Peeves, Harry having to pretend to be the Bloody Baron to get away, we find ourselves outside the third-floor corridor; the door was already ajar.

Harry tries to persuade us to go back, and after we all refuse to leave him, he pushes the door open. It was definitely a three-headed dog, very much awake. At its fee was a discarded harp. Harry begins to blow on his flute and we approach the trap door under the dog's heads, which were all just asleep now.

"Want to go first, Hermione?" Ron asks as Harry continues to play the flute so the dog stays asleep.

"No, I don't!" She exclaims, so I take a step forward.

"I'll do it," I reply, and before anyone can argue, I jump into the dark hole, noticing that it looked as if there was no end in sight.

Landing on some sort of plant, I yell up to the three of them that it's okay and shortly Ron lands beside me, then Harry and finally Hermione.

"We must be miles under the school," Hermione says, looking around.

"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," Ron states.

Choosing to look at the plant, I swear. "Lucky! Buggered is more like it."

Hermione jumps up, having been the last to have landed, the plant had no yet begun to wrap itself around her and she is able to make it to the wall. My legs were already bound tightly by the plant.

As me, Harry and Ron begin to strain against the plant, Hermione yells at us to stop. "I know what this is- it's Devil's Snare!"

"That's a great help, knowing what it's called!" Ron yells back, attempting to stop it from choking him.

"So light a fire!" I call out to her as it tries to pull me down.

"But there's no wood!" She cries in return.

It's lucky that Ron yells at her before I can. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?" He yells at her and within moments she lights fire to the plant, which retreats from me, Ron and Harry so we're able to join Hermione at the wall.

"Lucky you two pay attention in Herbology," Harry says to Hermione and me as he wipes the sweat off his face.

"Yeah," Ron replies. "There's no wood- _honestly."_

The only way forward is through a passageway with trickling water down the walls. "_Lumos,"_ I mutter and our surroundings light up as the passageway slopes downward.

"Can you hear something?" Ron whispers.

"Sounds like wings," I state as we proceed forward, muttering _"Nox_" as we enter a brightly lit, high-arched chamber. On the other side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

"What are the birds for?" Harry asks after attempting to pull open the heave locked door.

"They're keys," I say, confused. "One must open the door."

Noticing the broomsticks on the other side of the wall, I walk over to them and hand one to everyone. "Looks like we fly."

"We're looking for a big old-fashioned key- probably silver like the handle," Ron states and the four of us kick off, attempting to catch the correct key.

Darting as fast as they were, it was almost impossible to catch any of the keys. Harry suddenly points to one of the keys, one with bright blue wings, one of which at been crumpled on one side. Harry instructs us to surround the key and as Ron dives towards it, the key Speeds towards the wall with both Harry and I after it. With a loud crunching noise, Harry and I pin it against the wall, each with a hand causing Ron and Hermione to cheer.

We all quickly land as Harry runs to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He puts it in the lock and slowly pushes the door open into a room decorated as a giant chessboard.

"Now what do we do?" Harry asks in a hurried whisper.

"We've got to play our way across the room," Ron replies, turning to me.

"You're the chess master," I state, looking to Harry. "Let Ron lead us."

Ron's face turns to a large grin. "We've got to take the places of four black pieces," he states, suddenly very sure of himself. "Harry, you take the place of the Bishop on the right. Hermione, go next to him in place of that castle. I'll be a knight…Taylor…"

"I'll be the other rook," I state, and each or the pieces named leave the board so we can take their places. When we are standing in our correct squares, a white pawn moves itself forward two places. Ron begins to direct the black pieces with authority, and they move without hesitation. The first one of us that he moves is Harry, who Ron instructs to move four diagonal spaces to the right.

Ron allows our other knight to be taken by the white queen, who smashes the knight down and drags him off the board.

When a pile of pieces has piled on either side of the board, Ron pauses as the white queen turns towards him.

"No," I state quickly, knowing that Ron was about to give himself up.

"It's the only way," he states. "It leaves you free to check mate the king.

"But-" Harry interjects.

"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"

"Ron-" Hermione tries.

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"

Having no other option, we watch as Ron steps forward and the white queen strikes Ron hard against his head with her stone arm, and he crashes to the floor. Hermione lets out a small scream, but remains in her square as the queen drags an unconscious Ron off the board.

Breathing fast, I move two squares to my right where the white king takes his crown off and throws it down at my feet, giving me a large bow. The other chess pieces bow as well and part, leaving us access to the door out. With a quick look back at Ron, we decide that he'll be fine left there as he will be no use to us unconscious, and we run through the door.

As the door opens, we quickly pull our robes in front of our face, attempting to mask the disgusting smell of a large, already unconscious, mountain troll. Stepping carefully over it's sprawled out legs, we make our way to the next door and walk into the room, noticing a long table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.

"Snape's," I say with a slight grin, causing Harry and Hermione to look at me.

As we step into the room, a fire blocks the door we entered through, along with the door on the other side of the room.

We're trapped inside the room.

We walk over to the table where's there's a roll of parchment laying next to the bottles. I unroll it and begin to read Snape's flowing writing aloud.

"_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

_Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,_

_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

_Another will transport the drinker back instead,_

_Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_

_Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line._

_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore, _

_To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_

_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_

_You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_

_Second, different are those who stand at either end,_

_But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_

_Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_

_Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_

_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_

_Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."_

"What an insufferable git," I state with a grin when I finish reading the paper.

Looking to Hermione, I see she has a smile as well.

"_Brilliant_," Hermione says. "This isn't magic- it's logic! A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."

"But so will we, won't we?" Harry asks.

"Not in the slightest," I reply with a grin still on my face as I re-read the paper.

"Okay," I say after a few moments, and Harry and Hermione look at me in surprise. "The smallest bottle will let us through the fire towards the stone." I state. "And that one," I state, pointing at the rounded bottle at the right end, "Will get us back the other way."

"How do you know?" Harry asks.

"I just do," I state, looking at how small the bottle forward is. I pick it up and uncork it, breathing in deeply. "There's only enough here for two of us to go forward."

Harry and I look at each other and I hand Hermione the bottle to go back.

"Drink that," Harry says. "Go back and get Ron and use the brooms from the key room to get back out. Go straight to the Owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore…we need him."

Hermione's lip trembles and she engulfs the both of us in a tight hug, "be careful."

"I think it's a little late for that," I state, gesturing for Hermione to drink from the bottle as I hand Harry the one I had been holding. She drinks and with a last look back at us, she walks through the giant purple flames and through the door.

I pick up a bottle of nettle wine from the table and pocket it. "Wine," I state at Harry's curious look. "You never know…now take a small sip so we can get on this."

Harry takes a sip from the bottle and hands it back to me with a shiver. As I drink, I realize why. It was like drinking ice.

With a nod towards each other we approach the tall black flames, breathing in deeply before walking through them and into the next chamber, where neither one of us was prepared for who we find behind the flames.

"You!" Harry gasps at Quirrell as I am rendered speechless.

"Me," Quirrell replies, calmly. His face twisted in a smile. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter. And Black? What a pleasant surprise."

I glare at him as Harry states that he thought he'd be finding Snape here tonight. Quirrell laughs at Harry's assessment and turns to me. "And what did you think, girl?"

"You were the one who tried to knock Harry off his broom," I state, pointing my wand at him.

"Correct," he states, smiling at Harry. "Your friend Ms. Granger accidentally knocked me over as she set fire to Snape. He was trying to _save_ you. That's why he insisted on refereeing the next match…what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."

With a flick of his wrist, Harry and I are instantly bounded by ropes.

"You children are too nosy to live," Quirrell continues as I try to maneuver out of the ropes. "Defeating the troll that I had let in on Halloween."

"_You_ let the troll in?" Harry states.

"Certainly," Quirrell replies. "I have a special gift with trolls. Snape suspected me at once and went straight to the third floor to head me off. Not only did the troll fail to beat you to death, but that three headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly. Now wait quietly, I need to examine this interesting mirror."

Harry and I both look past Quirrell where a large mirror stands. This must be the mirror that Harry had told me about, that he had found over holiday break.

Quirrell mutters about how the mirror is to help him find the stone. As Quirrell examines the mirror, Harry panics, obviously not wanting Quirrell to figure out how the mirror works.

"We saw you and Snape in the forest," Harry blurts out as Quirrell walks around the mirror.

"Yes," he replies. "He was trying to find out how far I got. Tried to frighten me- as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…"

"You have a lot of nerve," I state as Quirrell walks back to the front of the mirror. "Saying the Dark Lord's name."

Quirrell ignores me. "I see the stone…" he states, "and I'm presenting it to my master, but where is it?"

I look around the room, trying to see if there was anything I could do to get out of these ropes as Harry continues attempting to distract Quirrell. I go back to listening to the conversation when Quirrell states that the Dark Lord is with him wherever he goes.

Quirrell swears under his breath. "I don't understand…is the stone _inside_ the mirror? Should I break it?"

I watch as Harry attempts to move to his left and ends up tripping, falling over as Quirrell ignores him. Finally loosening my hand enough to move it, I manage to set fire to the ropes, swearing as I try and put the fire out when the ropes fall to the floor. Quirrell aims a curse at me and I'm thrown against the wall, hitting my head, my wand on the ground. I pretend that I'm as helpless as any ordinary wizard would be without a wand and he smiles at me.

Quirrell turns back to the mirror, when a voice comes from him. "Use the boy…Use the boy."

"Yes," Quirrell exclaims, turning to Harry. "Come here." With a clap of his hands, the ropes binding Harry fall off and Harry stands. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

Harry walks over to the mirror and I try to read the expression on his face as he gazes into the mirror, but besides surprise, I cannot read anything else.

"Well," Quirrell asks in annoyance. "What do you see?"

"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," Harry says slowly. "I- I've won the Quidditch cup."

Quirrell curses again and pushes Harry to the side as the voice speaks once more. "He lies…He lies…"

Quirrell turns on Harry once more, demanding the truth when the voice asks to speak to Harry face to face. Quirrell argues with, apparently himself, for a bit before unwrapping his turban and turning around, where instead of the back of his head, there is a chalk white face with red eyes. It has slits for nostrils like a snake.

"Harry Potter…" it whispers.

It looks as if Harry is frozen on the spot and I don't find myself that much better. The face begins to talk to Harry, asking him to see what it has become, having to resort to drinking unicorn blood and attempting to obtain the elixir of life.

Suddenly, it asks for the stone from Harry's pocket and Harry stumbles backwards as I will myself to stand. Quirrell begins to walk backwards towards Harry so that the Dark Lord is still facing him, a large smile on his lips. Quirrell being distracted, I crawl towards my wand, grasping it in my hand as Harry jumps to the door, that Dark Lord yelling out for Quirrell to seize Harry.

Before I can shout any curse, Quirrell lunges at Harry, tackling him to the ground before crying out in pain. It looks like where ever Quirrell touches Harry burns him and Harry isn't looking too much better. As Quirrell pins Harry to the ground and raises his wand to kill him, I aim a disarming spell at him as Harry reaches up with his hand and grasps Quirrell's face which instantly blisters.

When Quirrell falls off Harry in pain, Harry crawls over to him, grasping onto his arm.

"Harry!" I yell, seeing that as much pain Harry was causing Quirrell, Quirrell was causing him as well.

I wave my hand at Quirrell, not even sure what curse I aimed at him, but he flies backward against the wall, far from Harry.

I quickly make my way to Harry, who was unconscious on the floor, and feel his arm quickly for a pulse. I jump back, raising my wand, as Dumbledore appears in front of me, glancing quickly to me and Harry and then over his shoulder at Quirrell.

Ignoring Quirrell, Dumbledore bends down beside me and Harry, placing his hand on Harry's neck, probably doing as I had done, and checking if he's still alive.

"Can you walk?" Dumbledore asks me.

I nod my head at him and he levitates Harry after binding Quirrell. Binding him looks like quite the useless thing to do as he appears to be very dead. Dumbledore waves his and a passageway behind the mirror opens up. He levitates Harry through the opening and I follow closely behind them.

"Go up to my office," Dumbledore states. "I'm going to bring Harry to the hospital wing. The password is lemon drops."

I nod at him and take the left corridor as he walks right.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

**Only 2 more chapters left, people.**

**One tomorrow, and one Friday.**

**I assure you, they're quite long.**


	24. Story, Skirmish and Seeker

**Second to last chapter, mates.**

**I didn't feel like splitting up these 17 pages. **

**End of this story will be up tomorrow before I leave for break.**

**(Before 1:00PM ES)**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Stepping into his office, I throw myself down in the chair across from his desk. The same one I had sat in when McGonagall had brought me up for writing to my father.

Remembering the bottle of wine I had taken from the table, I pull it out of my robes and uncork the large bottle, taking a rather large gulp. Dumbledore returns to the room by the time I have finished nearly half the bottle.

"Taylor," he says, sounding concerned as he walks over to his desk, sitting behind it. "Are you all right?"

I nod at him, and he doesn't look convinced.

"Are you injured at all?"

"Just my head," I reply with a shrug. "Nothing bad."

"It looks as if your side is burned, as well."

I look down quickly, and sure enough, where I had burned the ropes off me had resulted in a large burn hole through my robes and a blister on my waist.

"Doesn't matter," I reply, taking another sip of wine. "How's Harry?"

"He'll be fine," Dumbledore replies, taking a red stone out of his pocket and laying it on his desk. "Care to tell me what happened down there?"

"You helped set it up," I state. "You should know what happened."

To my surprise, he gives me a slight smile. "Why don't you refresh and old man's memory then?"

I roll my eyes and am about to speak when the door flies open, revealing both McGonagall and Snape. I cringe at the look on McGonagall's face.

"Ah," Dumbledore states. "Minerva, Severus…Taylor here was just about to relay her night."

Snape shuts the door behind him and walks over to my right, leaning against a bookshelf. McGonagall conjures up a chair beside Dumbledore's desk and sits, waiting for me to speak.

"Where do you want me to start from?" I ask.

"Today works fine."

I place the wine bottle on Dumbledore's desk and Snape's hand flies out to it, bringing it up to his nose, more than likely checking to see if I've been drinking poison. "This wasn't meant to actually be drunk," he states with a frown.

I shrug at him.

"After the exam today," I start, "Harry, Ron and Hermione went to Hagrid's hut where they found out that he had told someone how to get past Fluffy, by playing her music. We went immediately to find you, but Professor McGonagall told us that you were at the Ministry of Magic so we told her that someone was going to try and steal the stone, but she informed us that it was well protected."

McGonagall averts her eyes so I can't meet them and I continue. "Knowing that it would take place tonight, we waited in the common room until everyone went to bed. Sneaking out, though, I had to put a body binding curse on Neville who didn't want us to lose anymore points."

I relay to them about the Devil's snare, the flying keys and the chess game, where McGonagall gives a gasp when I tell them that Ron had sacrificed himself.

"Then we got to Professor Snape's," I state, nodding towards the bottle on the desk. "I got to decipher that one. I have to say, despite the seriousness, it was quite fun. Harry and I went forward and we sent Hermione back to get Ron and owl the Headmaster. Harry and I met Quirrell in the next room where he bound us in ropes."

I tell them about what had happened in the room, and Dumbledore's office goes incredibly quiet when I tell of the Dark Lord being under Quirrell's turban.

"Every time that Quirrell touched Harry, he got burned. It took a lot out of Harry though and after I disarmed Quirrell, Harry went unconscious. After I blasted Quirrell backwards against the wall, I went to check on Harry. The Headmaster appeared after that."

Dumbledore's Phoenix, Fawkes, gives a low cry and flies over to me, landing on my shoulder and letting a few tear drops land on both the back of my head and my side. I smile at the bird as my wounds begin to heal, bringing my hand up to stroke the bird's neck.

"You had the chance to tell me that it was happening tonight," Snape says evenly. "And you chose not to?"

"I assumed that you would have acted as Professor McGonagall did, Sir," I reply. "And it didn't help matters that Harry, Ron and Hermione were convinced that it was you who was after the stone. We knew it was the dog that had bitten your leg and Harry and I had caught your conversation with Quirrell in the woods."

Snape looks at me astounded and I look back at Dumbledore. "Is Ron okay?"

"Just a bump on his head," he replies. "He'll be out of the hospital by tomorrow. Harry will remain for a few days."

"Are we in trouble?" I ask slowly, not sure if I really want to know the answer.

There is a twinkle in Dumbledore's eye as he turns to McGonagall. "You certainly broke over a dozen school rules each tonight, but I believe that your punishment remains within your Head of house."

I gulp, turning to McGonagall.

"With the end result," she states, an oddly proud look on her face. "I think we could look past the events that got you four to the outcome."

I give her a small smile and nod at her in respect, hardly believing that we were getting away with what we did without punishment.

"I will, however," she continues. "Have to write your guardians about what happened."

I grimace at thinking about how Remus might possibly react to what happened. "_Lovely_," I reply. "You sure you can't just expel me instead?"

McGonagall lets out a small laugh, "I've never known Remus to act rashly."

Dumbledore stands. "You should get to bed, Taylor. Miss Granger is already back in Gryffindor tower."

"I don't need the hospital?"

"Severus?" Dumbledore asks.

Snape walks over to me, examining both my head and my side.

"She's fine, Albus. Fawkes healed her."

"You may go back to your common room, Taylor."

I stand up and thank Dumbledore before turning and leaving the room, Fawkes flying back to his perch behind Dumbledore's desk.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

I sleep through breakfast in the morning and am finally awaken by Hermione slightly before lunch.

"I thought you might want to get up to eat," Hermione says slowly. She had been asleep by the time I had gotten to the dorm last night so I haven't had a chance to talk to her about what happened with Quirrell yet, and I'm not quite in the mood.

"Thanks," I state, sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of my bed.

"You may want to wash up before going down stairs," Hermione states carefully. "I take it you haven't looked in a mirror since coming back last night."

I shake my head no and stand up, walking over to the mirror on the back of the door. My face was covered with dirt, and blood was evident by my ear, about where I had hit the wall. I was still in my clothing from last night and I frown at the large burn hole on my right side.

"How'd that happen?" Hermione asks me as I cast a scouring charm over myself, not feeling like a shower, and tugging my robes off, reaching in my drawer for some clean ones along with a shirt and skirt.

"I set myself on fire," I reply, walking into the bathroom to brush my teeth and Hermione follows me in.

"Care to explain?" She asks, as I turn the faucet off, examining the rings under my eyes. I sigh and wave my hand in front of my face, making green eyeliner accent my eyes in an attempt to bring attention away from how tired I look and feel. "Makeup?" Hermione asks, forgetting her first question.

"I wear it sometimes," I say in defense.

"No," she states with a large grin. "I can't say I remember you ever acting like a girl."

"Bugger off," I reply, making my way back to my bed to put shoes on.

Hermione just smiles at me. "I'm planning on visiting Harry and Ron after lunch. I stopped in after breakfast and Pomfrey told me that Harry won't be awake for a few days."

"I think I'll wait for later," I state as Hermione leads me to the door. "I feel like if I see Pomfrey too soon over last night she'll feel the need to examine me."

Hermione laughs as we make our way out of the portrait hole and to the Great Hall, which was already filled. The speaking stops as we walk over to the Gryffindor table and take a seat near the end across from Fred, George and Lee. Faces continue to stare at us for several moments and slowly the noise comes back as a whisper.

"I take it everyone knows?" I ask Fred, not feeling very hungry at the moment.

"What gave you that idea?" George replies, flicking a pea down the table at Oliver and feigning innocence when Oliver glares at him accusingly.

Oliver catches my eye and stands up, sitting down on my right. "McGonagall came to me this morning saying that Harry won't be able to play tomorrow. There's no chance in us winning the cup, but if we don't have a seeker we have to forfeit. Would you be willing?"

"Why not?" I reply. "We'd need to win my over 400 points in order to get the cup so it's not as if my playing can damage our chances."

"We don't have anytime to throw together a practice," Oliver states. "So I'll just be throwing you in there tomorrow. Are you okay with that?"

"Sure Oli," I reply, making both Fred and George snicker, and Oliver blush at my use of his nickname.

"I'm free after lunch if you want to go over some plays as you've never practiced as Seeker before."

"We're free too, _Oli,_" Fred states.

"Yeah _Oli_, we'd love to join," George says with a grin.

Oliver glares at the both of them, and from under the table I wave take my wand out from my pocket and mutter a charm. Almost instantly, Oliver's glare turns into laughter and Fred and George both gasp at each other.

"Oh," I state as innocently as I can muster. "Bollocks…I was supposed to turn the _Slytherin_ Quidditch team pink, not the _Gryffindor _team."

Fred and George's hair was a bright pink, along with every inch of their skin. "Pity I don't know the counter charm."

They turn to each other before diving over the table for me. I can't help the squeal I let out as I just jump out of the way as they fall at my feet. Noticing that they weren't going to give up that easily, and that they well pulling themselves back up to their feet, I run out of the Hall, ignoring the shouts from the Head table; Fred and George right at my heel.

They follow me through the entrance hall and out onto the grounds, catching me nearly at the lake and tackling me to the grass.

"You think this is funny, do you?" Fred asks, and evil grin on his face as he sits on top of my thighs.

"Using our own prank idea against us?" George asks, with the identical grin as he leans over me so his face is upside-down from my angle.

"What are you going to do about it?" I ask, which is probable the wrong idea as George pins my arms out so Fred can tickle me.

"Stop," I gasp out, unable to control my laughter.

"Apologize," Fred says.

I shake my head, not being able to get the words out as George kneels on my arms so he can lean over and tickle my sides.

"Please," I say through laughter. "Please guys."

"_Apologize_," George repeats, removing his hands as to allow me to catch my breath.

"Never," I reply, and as George leans down once more, a throat clears from nearby and the three of us turn our heads to see Dumbledore, McGonagall and several students, including Oliver, watching with amusement.

"Sir," George states as Fred says, "Professor." Neither one of them moving from where I was pinned down.

"What seems to be the problem here?" Dumbledore asks with a smile.

"Nothing, Sir," Fred says innocently. "George and I like to be pink once a year."

This causes several students to laugh so George, seeing the opportunity for more attention, continues.

"As we've missed the last few years, we figured that we might as well go all out this year."

"Be that as it may," Dumbledore states, "I believe that you've rendered Miss Black quite defenseless."

Fred and George look at each other before letting me go. I sit up slowly, clutching my side. "Thanks," I mutter.

"I think you can return them back to normal now," McGonagall states as the three of us stand up, Fred holding out his hand to pull me to my feet.

"As much as I'd love to," I say with a smile. "I was telling the truth when I said I didn't know the counter charm. I used a potion on the Slytherins..."

Both Fred and George look at me, completely mortified, as most of our on lookers crack up laughing.

"Are you telling me that we're _stuck_ like this?" Fred exclaims.

"Looks like you've finally been out-pranked, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall says, surprising me with a large grin. "And by a first year."

George looks murderous as he twirls his wand in his hand. "This certainly doesn't end here."

"It certainly does," McGonagall replies, turning from George back to me. "Taylor, I understand that you're quite exceptional in Potions. I'm sure that Professor Snape will allow you to use the community ingredients."

"Yes Professor," I say with a groan. "I'll get on that right after the game tomor-"

"I think now will do," she interrupts.

"Sore losers," I mutter so only Fred and George can hear me.

"Mark my words we'll get you back for this," Fred mutters in return.

"Now it is, Ma'am." I exclaim, giving a salute to McGonagall and beginning to walk towards the castle. "Any good at Potions?" I ask Oliver, stopping in front of him.

He shrugs. "Decent, I guess."

"You mind talking strategy over potion making?"

"Not at all," he replies and he follows me as I gesture towards the castle and begin walking, the crowd of students parting as we walk.

When we get inside the castle, Oliver asks me about last night.

"You mean you don't already know?" I ask.

"I might," he admits, shrugging with his hands in his robe pockets. "But I'd rather hear it from the source rather than the school."

"Tell me what you've heard and I'll tell you if anything's different."

Oliver relays what he's heard as we make our way to the dungeons and when he finishes I nod at him.

"That about sums it up," I reply, just as we reach Snape's classroom. I knock on the door and Snape's voice rings out, stating to enter.

"Sir," I state, walking into the classroom, Oliver behind me. "Professor McGonagall has instructed me to come down here to brew a counter potion to having turned Fred and George Weasley pink. She informed me that you'd be willing to allow me to use community ingredients."

"You know where they are," he states and I gesture Oliver to an empty cauldron off to the side as I collect a few books off the shelf, bringing them back over to Oliver, and handing him one.

"I honestly have no idea what I'm looking for," I admit. "I used a charm, not a potion."

"There are plenty of reversal potions that should work," he replies, flipping to the book's index. "Why'd you use a charm on them that you didn't know the counter-curse to anyway?"

"Wasn't really thinking," I reply, looking through the index of one of the books and turning to the appropriate chapter. "I don't do well with being teased."

"I hadn't noticed," Oliver says with a grin, not looking up from his book.

After a few minutes of looking through the books, Oliver turns his book sideways and I lean in to read.

"Yeah," I state, looking over the ingredients. "That one should work."

I take the book from him and walk over to the ingredient cabinet, taking out some dried nettles, porcupine quills, scurvy-grass, and Valerian roots before walking up to Snape's desk.

"What is it?" he asks, continuing to grade the exam he was looking over.

"Can I grab some powered moonstone and syrup of hellebore from your closet?"

He waves me off with his hand and I go into the storage closet I had previously organized and easily find the last two ingredients, bringing the lot over to Oliver.

"Here we are," I state, laying the ingredients down on the desk and handing the book to Oliver. Taking my heavy robe off, I turn to him. "Instruct away, Mister captain." He smiles at me and stands up to remove his own robe, cuffing up his school shirt to his elbows, in a way which I have to admit to myself, makes him look all too adorable. Why have I never realized Oliver in this way before? I have to will myself to look away from him and down at the cauldron as he begins to read off the instructions.

Within twenty minutes, the potion is simmering and all we have to do is wait for it to turn the correct color, so Oliver and I get on Quidditch strategy, with a bit of hesitation from Oliver over talking in front of the Slytherin Head of House. I quickly remind him that we'll be playing Ravenclaw and he pulls some parchment out of his bag, beginning to mark with a Muggle fountain pen, specific plays and moves that I might want to consider against the Ravenclaw Seeker if I want our team to gain as many points as possible, no matter how futile the attempt.

After the third attempt at explaining a particular faking dive that I might want to try, I've had enough.

"I get it Oli, not like it really matters. I'm simply attempting to save our team from a slaughter."

He sighs. "I'm sorry," he states, leaning back in his chair. "I just really thought we had a chance at winning this year, with Harry on the team and all."

"I know," I reply. "But there's always next year. I mean, I hope that I'll be a good asset to the team if I'm the best at tryouts. With Katie's parents not letting her play because of grades I _should_ beat out whoever else tries to make the team."

The potion begins to bubble and has turned the desired golden yellow, indicating that it's done.

"I was really hoping to get the chance to see them bright pink during the game tomorrow," I state with a small frown as Oliver removes the cauldron from the fire, which I extinguish with my wand.

"You can always tell them that it needs a day to simmer."

I turn to look at Snape who has an eyebrow raised at me.

"Brilliant, Sir," I reply with a smile. "Let's just hope that Professor McGonagall doesn't question it."

"I'll be sure to attest to it if any questions are asked."

"Thank you Sir," I reply, watching Oliver spoon two vials full of the potion. "Would you have any use for the rest of the potion?"

He thinks for a moment. "Possibly, just leave the cauldron where it is."

I nod at him and Oliver and I clean up the unused ingredients and place the textbooks back on their appropriate shelves.

"Thanks for everything, Professor," I state as Oliver gives Snape a last nod before walking out of his classroom.

Care for a walk on the grounds?" Oliver asks me as he hands me the two vials.

I pocket them and smile up at him. "I have no objections."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Incredibly nervous, never having so much as _practiced_ playing Seeker before, I hardly sleep and dress early, sneaking up to Harry's room, careful not to wake Dean, Seamus, Neville or Ron as I remove Harry's broom from his trunk and creep back downstairs, jumping as I run into Oliver on my way down.

He holds a finger to his lips until we get to the common room. "Nervous?" He asks, holding the portrait open with his broom so I can step through it.

"A small understatement," I reply and he smiles at me.

"You shouldn't be," he states. "You have natural ability, and in a last case scenario, we've already lost."

"What's this?" I ask, lined with sarcasm. "The great Oliver Wood stating that a Quidditch game doesn't matter? Whatever would the rest of the world do if they heard that?"

"Most likely die from shock," a voice states from a corridor on the left.

We both turn towards the voice and Oliver rolls his eyes at his younger brother.

"How you doing, Tay?" Toph asks me, pulling me into a hug before continuing to the Great Hall.

"Been better, been worse," I reply.

He nods at me and noticing the Hall to be empty, sits down with his brother and me at the Gryffindor table. Oliver across from the both of us. "Seen Harry?" He asks, laying his broom down on the table.

"Not yet," I reply. "I don't do well with hospitals and I don't feel like having Pomfrey check me out."

"I take it he doesn't know you're using his broom?"

"Seeing as he's not currently conscious," I reply with a smile, laying Harry's broom down next to Toph's. "I'm going with a no."

Looking back and forth from Toph and Oliver, I can't help but smile. They could almost pass as twins. Both are tall, athletically built, and as I've recently taken the time to notice, highly attractive. They share most of the same mannerisms that one conversation with either one of them would show to be a prominent portion of their personality. Oliver's hair is a bit darker than his brother's is and he also has brown eyes when Toph's are more of a hazel.

I jump when Toph waves his hand in front of my face, a large grin on his lips. "You quite done checking Oli out?"

"Piss off," I state, smacking him on his arm. Looking to Oliver, I'm surprised to see a slight blush on his cheeks. I turn my attention to the door of the hall as several students begin to trickle inside for breakfast.

"So who won the last game you two were faced off against each other?" I ask Oliver.

"Gryffindor," he says with a smile. "We've only faced each other once before."

"Should be an interesting game then, eh?" I ask Toph. "Going to attempt to show Oli up?"

"Ravenclaw can hold their own," he replies, sending me a smirk. "If anything, we have a leg up. At least we have a Seeker who knows the position."

"Prat," I mutter as food appears on the tables. "You going to grace us with your company through breakfast?"

"I don't see why not." Toph replies as Angelina, Alicia and Katie all approach the table.

"Ooh," Alicia says, sitting a small ways down at the table away from us; Katie and Angelina sitting across from her. "What did you do to be lucky enough to have the company of both Wood boys?" She asks me and then turns her attention to Toph. "Ready to go down, little Oliver?"

"It's my last game for at least a year, if not more," Katie states. "And I don't plan on losing."

Toph's eyes narrow, but before he can respond, I rest my hand on his wrist, giving him a small smile. "Friendly banter," I state with a shrug. "They're just a little bad at it. Ignore them."

"Fraternizing with the enemy?" George asks, sitting down beside me as Fred sits across him, next to Oliver. Both still entirely pink, clashing greatly with the red Quidditch robes they are wearing.

"We thought in times of Quidditch you valued the game over family," Fred says to Oliver, quickly piling food on his plate and beginning to eat after sending me a wink.

"You know as well as I do that this game doesn't matter," Oliver states, picking up a piece of toast, which I believe is the first thing I've ever seen him eat before a game.

"Ah," George says, leaning over. "But there's where you're wrong."

"Very true, my dear brother," Fred states, pointing at George before turning back to Oliver. "You see, this games matters greatly. Mostly to you and Topher here as it's matter entirely results in bragging rights."

"But bragging rights are certainly a matter," George concludes.

"Do you have any idea how annoying that is?" I ask the two of them, as I notice Oliver has stopped himself from eating, thinking hard on the twins' words.

"What?" they both ask, although I'm inclined to believe they already know what I'm talking about as they both wear an identical smirk.

"When you two play on being twins and break off sentences only to have the other finish them," I reply. "It only works well when you're doing it to a person who doesn't know you two well enough to tell the both of you apart. Although," I say with a smile. "You're new skin pigment does make it more difficult to differentiate the two of you by looks alone now."

"Yeah well, it's only a matter of bloody time until we're back to normal," Fred replies bitterly. "And I hold true to my words, we'll get you back for this."

Fred and George are joined by Lee and they go into their own conversation.

Toph nudges me with his elbow and I look up to him in question. "Eat," he says with a smile.

I shake my head at him and he hands me a piece of toast off his brother's forgotten plate. Grudgingly, I take a bite, making a show of it so he can see that I actually ate some.

When I finish my piece of toast, Oliver stands.

"All right team," he says loudly, and the team instantly stands to follow him. I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

"You'll be fine," Toph says, leaning over to kiss my cheek. I'm blushing when he pulls away and I thank him quickly, grabbing Harry's broom and running to catch up to the team.

"Looks like someone has a crush on little Oliver," Fred teases with a large grin as we make our way through the entrance hall.

Angelina, Katie and Alicia all turn to look at me and I glare at Fred. "No I don't," I state so firmly that Oliver even looks at me. If I have a crush on anyone, I think it might be Oliver.

"Then why'd he kiss you on the cheek?" George asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Because we're friends, you prat. And even if otherwise, how would that prove that _I_ have a crush on _him_?" I ask. "I didn't kiss him."

"She's got a point," Alicia states as we walk through the grounds towards the pitch. "And you two are just trying to get her back for the prank she pulled on you yesterday."

"If you haven't realized, we're pink, and it was completely unprovoked!" Fred tries to reason.

"Completely," George emphasizes. "I mean all we did was make fun of her and Ol-"

George doesn't finish his statement and instead chooses to stop walking so I catch up to where he was. To my luck, no one else seems to have been paying close attention to what he was saying.

"So," he says quietly as we enter the pitch and head to the locker room.

"What is it, Weasley?" I ask in aggravation, walking over to an unmarked locker and pulling out Quidditch robes. George and Fred were the only two in the room to already be dressed. Apparently they had removed their uniforms in their dorm after last match instead of the locker room.

"I think I've touched a nerve," he drawls out with a horrible, knowing grin.

"I need to change," I state, holding the robes out so he can see.

He shrugs and leans up against a locker, folding his arms in front of him. "I'm not stopping you."

I glare at him, and to his surprise, I tug my shirt up over my head. After living in an orphanage with plenty of other people around, allowing a guy to see my bra certainly wasn't a problem. It wasn't as if I had all that much to show.

"It's not polite to stare," Katie states with a grin as George continues to remain looking at me shocked. He shakes himself out of it when Oliver walks into the room from the captain's office, sending an odd look at the both of us as I pull a shirt on.

"Careful," George mutters as I pull a pair of gloves out of the locker. "You wouldn't want to make Oliver jealous now, would you? Unless that's how you're planning on getting him."

I bite my lip as George stalks off towards Fred, quickly whispering something in his ear. I don't need a mirror to tell me that my face is bright red.

"All right there, Tay?" Fred asks as Oliver ushers us into a circle for a before game pep talk as noise from the stands begin to fill the stadium. "You're looking a wee bit flushed."

"Fine," I mutter, hardly paying attention to what Oliver was telling us.

There's a long whistle from outside, signaling both teams onto the field and Oliver claps his hands. "Right team; let's have fun with this one- you're never going to hear me say that again."

Most of the team gives him a small laugh and he gestures us out onto the field, waiting behind as he takes his tradition of being the last member to step foot on the field. Something, George told me, Oliver had picked up from Charlie Weasley.

"You'll be fine,' Oliver states, squeezing me on the shoulder before pushing me forward with the rest of the team onto the field.

The weather was perfect for Quidditch. Warm temperature and a cloudless sky. As Oliver shakes hands with the Ravenclaw captain, Toph nods his head at me and I return the gesture as we're told to mount our brooms. I do so, and kick off hard as Madam Hooch blows her whistle.

I choose to hover a few feet above where most of the action is taking place, towards Oliver's side of the pitch. The Ravenclaw Seeker, I notice, is doing the same by Toph.

After several minutes of searching the pitch, and getting distracted by the action of the Chasers beneath me, I conclude that I have no clue how Harry can deal with being Seeker on a regular basis. This is almost as boring as the Muggle sport, golf.

Deciding that I might as well have some fun, I lunge forward, gaining the Ravenclaw Seeker's attention and he follows close behind me, thinking that I must have seen the snitch.

I haven't.

Instead, I lead him about the pitch, weaving in and out of the paths of other players. It's not long until he catches on and stops tailing me.

"All right there, Toph?" I call beneath me as the Ravenclaw Chasers approach Oliver, who easily blocks their shot.

"Bloody brilliant," he replies. "We're beating you 50-30."

I roll my eyes at him and begin circling the pitch once again, keeping a close eye out for the Snitch and just merely missing a Bludger, for which Fred apologizes for, hitting it towards a Ravenclaw Beater.

It seems like an eternity before I see the Snitch, fluttering by the Hufflepuff stands, I look quickly across the pitch where the Ravenclaw Seeker seems to have noticed as well. At the exact same moment, we both pelt forward, racing towards the snitch.

I cut across so I am in front of him, blocking his view of where the Snitch actually is. He follows almost on top as me, and as a Bludger is aimed straight at me, I smirk, seeing me chance. I've got skill of a flyer over his skill as a Seeker, so thinking quickly, I fly straight towards the Bludger, pulling up at the last possible moment, extending my arm and clasping my hand tightly around the small Snitch as the Ravenclaw Seeker just misses being hit in the face by the Bludger by making an abrupt left.

Cheers erupt from the Gryffindor stands and as I descend to the ground and jump off my broom, the team circles me.

"Won by 70," Angelina states, pulling me into a hug. "Nice job."

One by one the team congratulates me until, finally, Oliver picks me up and spins me around. "Brilliant flying," he compliments and I can feel blush rising to my cheeks once more as he lets me back on the ground.

Hermione and Ron run over to me and tell me that they're going to visit Harry but I opt not to as Harry's still in a sleep, choosing instead to go back in the locker room with the team in order to change. Toph catches me at the entrance and gives me a quick hug before running back to the Ravenclaw side to join his teammates.

"Too bad that counted for shit," I state as I walk into the captain's office where Oliver was sitting behind the desk.

"It's still a win," he replies with a smile, turning around in his chair to face me.

I reach into the desk draw and retrieve the two vials of potion that will return Fred and George back to their normal state. I wink at Oliver and make my way to the door before pausing, shutting the door, and looking back at him.

"What's up?" He asks.

"Toph doesn't actually like me, does he?" I blurt out.

Oliver stares at me for a moment, apparently in shock at my question. "I don't know," he finally responds. I sigh and walk over to his desk, jumping up onto the desk, sitting on a spot free of parchment covered in plays.

"Your gender is a pain in my ass," I state as he faces me.

"As yours is mine," he replies with a small smile. "Something bigger bothering you? Do you like Toph?"

I can't help laughing at the irony of his question. "No," I state, quickly shaking my head. "I just can't say that I really know how to deal with the possibility of a guy liking me more than a friend…or even as a friend." I clasp my hands in my lap and look down at them, avoiding Oliver's eyes.

"What are you on about?" Oliver asks me, concerned, laying his hand on top of mine.

"It's nothing," I reply, shaking my head, suddenly wishing I hadn't gotten into this conversation.

"If you've started talking about it, it's certainly not nothing."

"Okay," I state, giving into him, which I'm surprised seems almost easy to do. "Up until I came here…I just never really had friends. Even then, I didn't really want any. The kids at the orphanage hated me, and I guess I'm just having some difficulty learning how to…"

"Fit in?" Oliver asks softly.

I can only nod at him. He begins to rub his thumb against my hand when George bangs hard on the glass window to the office, making both of us jump, Oliver pulling his hand away from me.

"Party in the common room," His muffled voice says. "Last of the year, hurry and get changed, Tay."

I sigh and watch him walk away.

"Looks to me like you're fitting in okay," Oliver states, standing up from his chair.

Shrugging, I jump down from the desk, still holding the two vials of potion in my hand. I make to the door but Oliver pulls me into his chest, placing a kiss on my forehead before holding me tight.

"Have some faith in yourself," he says as he pulls away from me. "I need to finish packing some stuff up in here, I'll see you in the common room."

"Thanks," I say, barely over a whisper as I walk out of the office to change and join the rest of the team back in the common room.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

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	25. Home Again

**And here's the final installment,**

**Thank you all readers and reviewers.**

**You guys have been great.**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"Where's the toilet seat that Fred, George and I sent you?" I ask Harry with a slight smirk. "We picked it out especially for you."

He laughs as I sit down on the edge of his hospital bed, pulling him into a hug. "Pomfrey didn't find it sanitary," he replies.

"We cleaned it," I reason, looking at the gifts that he had been sent that litter the hospital wing. "Looks like you're popular again."

"Looks it."

"Sorry I hadn't dropped by until now," I state glancing at Ron and Hermione who were sitting on chairs across from Harry's bed. "You're not very exciting when you're asleep. Not that you're that exciting when you're awake either," I tease and he elbows me in the side.

"So how'd the Ravenclaw game go?" Harry asks with a knowing look.

"Heard about that, did you?" I ask in return. "You know Oliver. He wouldn't very well forfeit, but don't worry, your position's safe. I couldn't deal with how boring playing Seeker is."

"Boring?" Harry asks, aghast.

"All you do is hover there for more than half the time. Where's the fun in that?"

He shakes his head at me.

"Ready to face the school tomorrow at the feast?" I ask him.

"I don't have much of a choice now, do I?"

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

All heads turn to the door when Harry walks into the Hall. He seems to ignore the sudden silence at his entrance and the talking that came after, and instead cringes at the Slytherin banners that decorated the hall; showing the winners of the House cup for apparently their seventh year in a row.

He sits directly across from be between both Hermione and Ron. From both sides of me Fred and George lean across the table to shake his hand.

The whispering that had came with Harry's entrance suddenly stops as Dumbledore stands up, gaining the Hall's attention as he congratulates the Hall on another year gone.

"Now as I understand it," Dumbledore states. "The House cups needs awarding. And as it stands we have Gryffindor in fourth place, in third, Hufflepuff, in second is Ravenclaw and Slytherin is in first."

There is a loud cheer from the Slytherin table, but Dumbledore holds his hand up and the cheering slowly dies down. "Well done Slytherin, but recent events must be taken into account."

Me, Harry, Ron and Hermione all exchange glances as the Hall becomes silent, each student listening intently to Dumbledore.

"First- to Mr. Ronald Weasley…for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor fifty points."

Ron's face goes almost purple as the Gryffindor table explodes in cheering. When the cheers dies down once more, Dumbledore continues.

"Second- to Miss Hermione Granger…for using her intellect and keeping calm in a most dangerous situation, I award Gryffindor fifty points."

"Third- to Miss Taylor Black," I look up to the head table and lock eyes with Dumbledore. "For immense bravery and the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor sixty points." It surprises me that the professors at the head table are sending me proud smiles, even including Flitwick. From under the table, Both Fred and George clasp one of my hands in their own.

"To Mr. Harry Potter-" The silence in the hall is deafening. "For pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house Seventy points."

The Gryffindor table erupts in a loud cheer. With those points, Gryffindor was now tied for first with Slytherin. We had tied them for the House cup.

Dumbledore raises his hand once more though, a small smile on his lips. "There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Fred and George pull me up with them as the stand to cheer and a pile of people instantly smother Neville into a large group hug in celebration. We had won the house cup, for the first time in seven years.

Instead of joining in the cheering and other displays of celebration, I take the opportunity to look at the smiling faces of the friends I have made this year. Harry, Ron and Hermione have their hands joined, jumping together in a circle. Both Fred and George are taking their opportunity to congratulate Neville who looks at them with slight trepidation as they embrace him. I meet Oliver's eyes and he sends me a smile.

Maybe Oliver was right.

Maybe I am fitting in okay.

I'm ripped away from my thoughts suddenly as Angelina, Alicia and Katie encompass me in a large hug, huge grins on their faces. A smile comes to my lips as I join in on the celebration.

"Which means," Dumbledore calls over the cheering of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff who were all glad to finally see Slytherin lose. "We need a little change in decoration."

With a clap of his hands the green hanging banners turn to scarlet and the huge Slytherin serpent banner turns to a towering Gryffindor lion. Looking up at the head table, Snape is shaking McGonagall's hand with a greatly forced smile. Catching his eye, I can't help but smirk, earning me an ever familiar glare.

At the end of the feast, each head of house comes around to the tables to hand out exam results. While the other three heads simply hand them to their students, McGonagall glances each parchment over quickly before giving the results to their owner. She frowns a slight bit when she hands over Fred and Georges but pauses when she comes to me, scrutinizing it carefully. With a strange look on her face, she folds it in half and asks me to stay after, stating that the headmaster would like to speak to me as well.

I watch in silence as she moves down the table.

"That's doesn't sound good," Fred says slowly.

"Yeah," George agrees. "We've never had to see the headmaster."

"That's certainly encouraging," I say with a frown, still watching McGonagall.

When all four houses have received their results, Dumbledore sends the Hall off to bed. Fred and George both give me an encouraging shoulder squeeze as I remain sitting, watching as the hall empties. When the last student leaves, I look up at the head table where McGonagall, Dumbledore and Snape are standing in conversation; the other professors had left with the students.

Dumbledore catches my eyes and the group walks over to me as I watch them in confusion. "Did I do that poorly?" I ask.

"Quite the opposite, Miss Black," McGonagall states as the three of them sit across from me.

"Then what's with the inquisitional squad?" I ask, sending a questioning look at Snape.

Dumbledore smiles at me. "I asked you to stay after so I can tell you how proud I am with your progress from the beginning of the year to now."

I look at him in surprise as he continues.

"You started here with the goal of keeping yourself distant from every other person and I must admit, I was quite worried about how well you would fair. You have done well to prove me incorrect. Not only have you bonded with several fellow students, but besides your extensive detention record, you have proved yourself to be a top student in this school."

I don't reply as McGonagall slides my exam results across the table to me. Hesitantly, I unfold the paper and read it with surprise. I expected to do well, but not nearly what I had received.

**Charms:** 109

**Transfiguration: **113

**Herbology:** 100

**Astrology: **100

**Potions:** 125

**History of Magic:** 95

**Defense Against The Dark Arts:** 100

I bite my bottom lip, staring at the paper in front of me. When I finally look up, I give a small nervous laugh. "Well I thought History of Magic would be my worse, looks like I was right."

Snape's eyes narrow at me. "You made a one hundred and six percentile."

"I'm not sure I see the problem."

Dumbledore steps in before Snape can respond. "There is no problem, other than your professors being curious as to whether you hide your knowledge during class."

"Because I study for my exams and did well?" I ask, not wanting to admit that he was right. I'll have to remember not to try as hard on next years exams.

There's a knowing look in Dumbledore's eyes but I pretend that I don't notice and he nods at me. "At any rate," he says. "We just wanted to express how pleased we are at your results."

"Thank you, Professors," I reply.

When the three of them stand, I take it as my cue as well.

"Professor Snape will escort you back," Dumbledore states and I nod at him, folding my exam results up and following Snape out of the Great Hall.

"I thought you didn't score over 100."

"I don't," he replies. "Not exactly."

"Then how did I receive a 125?" I ask as we climb the stairs.

"I take into consideration how students have done throughout the year. If a student completely fails the final, but had exceptional work all semester, he will not fail. You happened to exceed all expectations of a first year. You should be proud to know that I've never given anything higher than a 110 before and I in no way gave you any special consideration."

We walk in silence for the remainder of the way to the Gryffindor common room and Snape simply nods at me, leaving me at the portrait. When I walk in, most of my house mates are still awake, scattered around the room.

Fred and George immediately run over to me, asking why I had to stay after.

"My grades," I say with a shrug. I wasn't _exactly_ lying to them, just making them think for the worse.

"Bollocks," Fred states as George lets out a whistle.

"No big deal," I state, looking towards the fire where Oliver was sitting, a book laid out on his lap.

George gives me a small smile and nudges me towards the couch. I shrug him off and walk over to Oliver.

"Oli," I state. "Mind if I join you?"

He folds down the corner of the page he was on and closes the book. "Absolutely not," he replies and I take the seat next to him.

"I don't believe I ever asked you how your O.W.L. exams went."

"Good," he replies quickly. "I think…it's not as if they'll matter much in the end though. I want to play Quidditch professionally. I can't really see myself doing anything else."

I shake my head at him. "I can't quite picture you at a desk job."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"Tay?"

"Just ten more minutes 'Mione," I moan.

Only the laughter I hear isn't a girl's. I open my eyes to the common room fireplace in confusion. I am remotely aware that there is a hand stroking my hair, but the feeling makes me want to close my eyes.

"Come on," I hear Oliver's voice say. "We fell asleep in the common room."

I groan and rub my eyes. As I turn on my back, I realize with complete awkwardness, that I had been using Oliver's lap as a pillow and his hand is still in my hair.

"Hey," he says softly.

"What time is it?" I ask with a yawn.

He shrugs at me, brushing a stand of hair out of my face as I close my eyes again with a sigh. "It's morning though," he says quietly.

"Mmm," I reply, turning into his stomach. I can feel him hold his breath for a moment but I ignore it as his breathing goes back to normal.

What feels like only a few moments later, I hear either Fred or George's voice. I'm not positive who because he's whispering.

"You don't think she's a bit young for you?" Either Fred or George asks.

"We're friends," Oliver replies, keeping his voice low.

The other voice laughs; definitely Fred. "For now," he replies. "But I'm not blind. I've seen some of the looks you've given her. I'm not sure all were just 'friendly'."

Before Oliver can reply, there is a large crash and I jump, now fully awake.

"Fred!" I hear Percy yell as I sit up on the couch, looking towards the boy's stairwell.

From the chair next to me, Fred calls back, "wrong brother!" as a string of curse words are heard coming form Percy, before a door is slammed, muffling them out.

"How'd you sleep?" Fred asks me with a grin and a raised eyebrow.

With a quick glance to Oliver, I reply, "brilliantly," making him laugh. "What did George do?"

"More than likely put something explosive in Perce's trunk. I'm not actually sure."

I turn to my right and notice Oliver watching me. "Do you need to pack still?" I ask him.

He shakes his head at me. "I did it all yesterday, you?"

"Haven't started," I mutter.

"You may want to get on that," George states, crawling around the couch and appearing before us. "Breakfast is in about twenty minutes."

"Wonderful," I reply standing up.

"Want any help?" George asks me, standing from where he was crouched on the floor.

"You can't walk up the stairs," I reply in confusion. "You know the castle doesn't allow guys to be in girls rooms."

"Not a problem," he says with a wink, taking his wand out and stating a summoning charm for his broom.

I look at him in surprise. "That works?"

"Most certainly," he says with a grin.

"I don't even want to know how you know that," I state. I turn around and tell Fred and Oliver that I'll see them at breakfast and run up the stairs, George following me on his broom.

When we walk into the room, Hermione, Lavender and Pavarti all give me and George an odd look, especially seeing as George just jumped off his broom and into my bed.

"I thought you were here to help me," I state, opening my closet door. Lavender and Pavarti exchange smiles with each other as they glance over at George, who was opening my bed table drawer, pulling out the journal that Tonks had gotten me for Christmas.

"Your bed was just so…inviting and I'm sure it was feeling lonely as it wasn't used all night."

"Where were you last night?" Hermione asks me, closing her trunk tight, finished with packing.

"I fell asleep in the common room," I reply as I walk over to George, snatching my journal out of his hands and smacking him over the head with it. "There's nothing good in there, it's only a day to day account of my life."

"So why can't I read it?"

I glare at him and toss the book back to him, opening my trunk and beginning to throw it full of my belongings as George diligently reads my journal. Hermione says that she'll see me at breakfast, and I'm glad to see that both Lavender and Pavarti follow shortly behind her.

"Done," I say, closing my trunk with a loud 'thump.'

I turn towards George, expecting him to have gotten off the bed when I proclaimed myself done, but instead he's frowning. I take in his demeanor; cross-legged on my bed, elbows resting on his knees, chin resting on his folded hands. My journal is closed on the bed in front of him.

"What's up?" I ask him, slightly concerned.

He looks up at me and plays with his hands as I sit down in front of him on my bed.

"George?" I ask.

"You were six," he says quietly.

I continue staring at him in confusion, but as he refuses to meet my eyes, I understand. I had forgotten that I had written about my Occlumency lesson with Snape. It was only shortly after Christmas when I had remembered about being raped and causing that boy to drown.

"I forgot that was in there."

He slowly looks up at me and lowers his hands, taking mine in his. "You really are quite remarkable," he says softly.

"No need to get gushy," I reply awkwardly.

He smiles at me and retracts his hands, handing me back my journal. "I won't tell anyone. Not even Fred."

"I trust you," I tell him, standing up and putting the journal in my trunk with the rest of my belongings. "Breakfast?"

He nods at me and jumps off my bed, picking up his broom. "What do you say to sliding down?"

I don't have a chance to reply as he grabs me by the waist and rushes to the door, pulling me tight against him as he sits down at our top step. Almost immediately the stairs drop to form a large slide and George gives a loud laugh before pushing off, sending us spiraling down the five flights of stairs to the common room.

Not being able to stop ourselves when we reach the bottom, we both collide into one of the tables where Harry and Ron were playing chess. As Ron jumps out of his chair in surprise, he trips over George's leg and fall on the ground beside us as Harry laughs. As George and I untangle ourselves from each other and George help me to my feet as Ron and Harry pick up the spilled chess pieces.

"Sorry 'bout that," I say to Harry with a smile.

"I was losing anyway," he replies as people begin to head out of the common room for breakfast. From breakfast, we go directly to the trains. Remus told me that Tonks will be picking me up from the station.

"Ready for your last time in the Great Hall as a first year?"

"Sure," I reply to Oliver who had joined us with Hermione and Fred. "You guys?" I ask Ron, Harry and Hermione.

As the answer yes, Fred and George run in front of us, with large grins, running through the portrait hole.

"Why don't I have a good feeling about that?" Harry asks as we're joined by Percy, who's in Oliver's year and happens to be a close friend of his.

"Because they're more than likely up to something," I reply as we follow behind them to the Great Hall.

Percy leaves us when we get to the table, but Oliver sits down beside Fred as me, Hermione, Harry and Ron sit across from the both of them and George who was on Fred's other side.

As I lean across the table to grab a goblet of pumpkin juice, several people at the table begin to laugh, looking in my direction.

My head immediately snaps to Fred and George who are looking at me with large grins on their face. Oliver, however, quickly looks down at his plate.

"Cheers," Fred says, transfiguring his goblet into a small mirror.

Tentatively, I take the mirror from him and hold it up to my face.

In large letters, which I recognize to be George's handwriting, are the words '_Mrs. Oliver Wood_' in a bright Gryffindor red. Feeling the blush rise to my face, I breathe in deeply, knowing that Fred and George were only getting me back for pranking them.

Slowly, I put the mirror down on the table and slide it back towards Fred.

"Touché," I state.

They both stare at me stunned, bringing their hands up from under the table where they had been prepared to stop me from doing anything to them by wand-point.

"Now how long until this bloody thing comes off?" I ask.

"'Till whenever we feel like letting the charm up," George replies, glancing at Oliver who was blushing nearly as much as I was.

"Wonderful," I reply as McGonagall comes to the table, handing out letters telling us that magic is not permitted to be used over break. She hands me the parchment with a slight grin, making her way down the table.

Throughout breakfast, I receive many fingers pointed at me and comments. The most obnoxious being from Toph who asked why he wasn't best man at the wedding. Oliver was certainly being a good sport about it, not saying anything other than telling his brother to shut up.

Dumbledore dismisses us for the summer and while exiting the castle Fred and George pull me and Oliver into a carriage with them.

George waves his wand in front of my forehead and I glare at him.

"That wasn't funny," I state. "I think you embarrassed Oli more than me you prats."

Oliver doesn't reply, but leans back into his seat with his arms folded against his chest, watching as the castle begins to grow smaller as we travel towards the station.

"Sorry, Oliver," Fred says, sincerely. "We realized that after."

"Yeah mate," George adds. "We were only having fun with Tay."

"I know," Oliver says. "I'm glad you waited 'till the last day for that one. Toph will never let me hear the end of it, though."

"We really only meant to get back at Tay," Fred insists.

"It's fine," Oliver replies. "Tay and I are just friends, what am I to be bothered with?"

It's odd. I wasn't expecting what he said to have hurt me at all, but there's definitely an odd feeling in my chest. I've never actually had feeling for a boy before, maybe this is how it's supposed to feel.

From across the carriage, George gives me an odd look before I look out the side, looking at the Hogwarts grounds.

"Wanna sit with us?" Fred asks when Oliver leaves to find Percy after the carriage has stopped. "Or are you sitting with Harry?"

I shake my head. "No, I'll sit with you two," I reply, petting the giant winged Threshal attached to the carriage.

"What are you doing?" George asks me confused. As Threshals are invisible to anyone who has not seen death, most students cannot see them.

I smile at George and take his hand, placing it gently on the Threshal's head. George jumps back when his hand touches feathers.

"What the bloody hell is that?" he exclaims as Fred looks at us in confusion.

"Threshal," I reply as the carriage pulls away.

"How'd you know it was there?" Fred asks me as we walk into the train and find ourselves an empty compartment. I sit down next to George, Fred across from us.

"Because I can see them," I reply simply. George gives me a small frown, having read why I can see them in my journal, but Fred looks at me aghast. "I'd rather not talk about it," I state.

"Of course," he replies. "No problem."

I bring my hand to my mouth as I yawn and George laughs at me. "I'd have though you slept well last night."

"Bugger off," I reply. "We stayed up talking until past two."

"I'm just joking," he replies, moving to his right so he's against the window. "Come on," he says, patting his lap as the train lurches forward. "It's a long train ride."

"And why should I trust you?" I ask.

"Because I consider you one of my best mates and I'd never do anything to harm you."

I can't help the smile that forms on my face. "Okay," I reply, hiding yet another yawn. "You win."

Slowly, I lay down, and rest my head against his thigh. His body shakes as he gives a small laugh, and I close my eyes.

"You know Oliver was just covering for himself, right?" George asks, running his hand through my hair, which I hadn't bothered to put up.

"Whatever," I reply, tiredly.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

Before I know it, we're pulling into the station and George is gently shaking me awake. "We're back," he tells me.

I sit up and squint, waking up fully as the train comes to a complete stop.

"Come on," Fred says, helping me to my feet. "We'll help you get your stuff."

We quickly get our trunks and as I carry Onyx, George insists on carrying my trunk off the train for me.

When we get out onto the platform, I look around and then direct the both of them to Tonks, where George puts my trunk down and I place Onyx down.

"Fred, George," I state. "This is my cousin Tonks."

They both hold their hands out and place a kiss on hers when she takes them. She smiles at them and then sends a wink towards me. She must remember that it was Fred who I had kissed earlier in the year.

They both give me tight hugs goodbye and tell me that I have to visit them over the summer, and mail them at least once a week, no matter what.

"Do you mind if I quickly say goodbye to a few people?" I ask Tonks. She shakes her head at me and tells me to take all the time I need.

As Fred and George walk over to their mother to drop off their trunks and say goodbye to their own friends, I walk over to Harry, Hermione, Neville and Ron who were all standing in a circle. I hug Harry, Hermione and Neville, and give a quick handshake to Ron, telling them that I'll see them probably over the summer at some point.

Turning around, I find Oliver and Toph standing by the train, talking to the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, a boy in Oliver's own year. I wait for them to say bye before walking over to them.

Toph kisses me on the cheek before engulfing me into a hug and telling me that he'll miss me over the summer. When he pulls away, I hesitate a small second before hugging Oliver, but once I have my arms around him, I don't feel like letting go.

"Thank you," I say softly, when we both finally do pull away from each other. "For everything."

He shakes his head at me. "No need to thank me for anything, Tay."

I shrug at him.

"Would you want to visit over break?" Oliver asks me.

"I'd like that," I reply. He gives me another hug, this time a quick one, and I leave them to go back to Tonks.

"You ready?" She asks me.

I look around the platform slowly, amazed at all that had happened during the past ten months.

"Yeah," I reply, picking up Onyx as Tonks grabs my trunk. "I think I'm ready.

She grabs hold of my arm, and with a last glance at the red steam engine, we apparate out of the station.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

**And that's the end of year one,**

**As I said before,**

**I'm skipping to year three,**

**And aiming at about the same amount of chapters.**

**Thank you loyal readers.**

**I will post the first chapter of the sequel either Sunday the 23****rd****, or Monday the 24****th**

**To any author alert people or story alert people,**

**I'll add a chapter to this story with the link to the new story.**

**Every one else can look it up on my profile.**

**It will probably be either A Day In The Life Pt. 3 or Taylor Black and the Prisoner of Azkaban…I might need to work on that.**

**Any suggestions?**


	26. SEQUEL

Here's the link to the sequel

**The sequel is up and it's called 'Like Father Like Daughter,' so if you'd like to continue reading about Taylor Black, please look for it on my profile.**

**Special thanks to the following, Reviewers make writing worth it:**

**bellatrix360**

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